


Storm in a Teacup

by zerrin



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Blood and violence (it's not very graphic), Claiming, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Jongin just wants to do his job, Kyungsoo has ADHD, M/M, Mentions of past abusive relationships, Supernatural Elements, Vampire Jongin, Vampires, my only knowledge about vampires comes from vampires so please don't examine this too closely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 05:08:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 44,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13287654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zerrin/pseuds/zerrin
Summary: Ever since supernatural creatures gained access to earth, humans are provided with their personal Guardians to protect them from all sorts of monsters. Jongin is a vampire and is put in charge of Do Kyungsoo’s protection.But see, Kyungsoo really doesn’t want to be protected. He also has a passionate dislike for vampires. It’s less-than-ideal.





	Storm in a Teacup

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WhisperLucifer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhisperLucifer/gifts).



 

 

 

Kyungsoo is lying on his chest, thumbing at the little cat’s ears. Luffy is giving him a lazy stare, closing her eyes when Kyungsoo starts rubbing his index finger over her head. She purrs happily and Kyungsoo sighs. 

“You wanna switch bodies for a day?” He asks. Luffy completely ignores him. “Thought so.”

His lips are pursed and his stomach’s growling and somewhere in the background he can hear Jongdae’s old neighbour Mr. Kang coughing his lungs out. 

The sound of the bathroom door opening makes him look up from where he’s sprawled across his best friend’s living room. 

Jongdae steps out in all his dressed up glory, his brother’s black suit hugging his legs and torso almost perfectly. 

He’s fixing his tie and his eyes display a mixture of disappointment and annoyance when he finds Kyungsoo lying in the exact same position he left him in when he disappeared to get changed fifteen minutes ago. 

“You’re seriously going through with this?” He sighs, letting his arms fall to his sides. 

Kyungsoo sits up, making Luffy jump away and shoot him a glare before she jumps on the windowsill to look outside. “You look good.” 

“Thanks. Can’t say the same for you.” Jongdae gives his sweater and worn out jeans a pointed look. “You still have time to go home and get changed, you know. Or wear something of my stuff. Anything’s better than _that._ ”

“I’m going like this. No amount of offensive and mildly hurtful comments is gonna change my mind, hyung.” Kyungsoo mumbles as he moves to stand up, his bones cracking in protest.

“Your sweater’s color reminds me of that green detox smoothie Baekhyun always drinks. It has holes in it, Soo.” Jongdae shakes his head. “It’s fucking horrendous.” 

“Great! It’s what I’m going for.” Kyungsoo smiles. 

“What, the musty-potato-look?” Jongdae rolls his eyes. “This is an important day, Kyungsoo. Don’t do this.” 

The humour vanishes from Kyungsoo’s face, replaced by something stoic and defensive. 

While he doesn’t agree with his best friend’s words, he can’t deny that he is right. 

It _is_ an important day. 

They’re meeting their Guardians today. 

In their case, _vampires_. Every human gets paired up with a vampire once they turn twenty-one, because that’s when a human’s body and soul are fully developed and turn into popular targets for any kind of supernatural beings that roam around in the shadows of the cities. 

Some scientists fucked up during the second world war, opening up a hidden portal to hell, the underworld, whatever you want to call it. Demons and shapeshifters and every other dark creature in the universe gained access to their world, and they weren’t able to figure out a way of closing the portal again.

Government bigwigs decided that among all of those creatures, vampires and werewolves were the only ones that could be trusted. Vampires and humans (or werewolves, depending on the country) are paired up together to minimise death rates among humans and prevent the supernatural from taking over the world.

They came to a mutual agreement; vampires were going to protect humans and in return, they would have unlimited blood supplies. Meaning they were allowed to use their assigned human to have a shot of blood whenever they felt like it.

How simple. How practical. Win-Win. Right? 

Nope. 

Kyungsoo - having turned twenty-one three months ago - is one of the few people who despises the idea of walking around with a blood sucking bodyguard for the rest of his life. 

Not everyone is biologically designed to survive a vampire’s venom that turns you into one of them. It depends on various factors of your DNA and chemical compositions. Kyungsoo happens to be one of the people that are not eligible for the bite. 

His body carries risk factors that make him too weak to fight off the venom long enough to keep his heart beating until the change occurs, so he would end up dying. 

You’re required to get a check-up at the age of five so you can get registered as a potential candidate for the Bite once you turn eighteen.

He spent his high school years dealing with soon-to-be-vampires, boasting about their status, treating Kyungsoo and other “rejected” kids like scum.

There’s no stopping vampires once they turn. It doesn’t matter if they’re male or female; they walk around expecting humans to move apart for them like the Red Sea did for Moses. 

To put it very simply; Kyungsoo doesn’t like this whole “Guardian” thing and he’s not going to get all dressed up for an event he doesn’t support the entire concept of.

“I’m not trying to impress anyone, though.” Kyungsoo tries when Jongdae’s gaze turns sadder by the second. Contrary to Kyungsoo, his friend is very much excited for the upcoming event. “I just want to get it over with.” 

“Yeah but, you’re meeting each other for the first time. Don’t you want to at least leave a good expression?” 

“Not really.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and laughs when Jongdae gives him yet another frown. He walks over to throw an arm around Jongdae’s shoulders, guiding him towards the door. “Let’s go before the cops show up.” 

He’s only half joking. 

The cops would definitely come knocking on their doors to drag them to the ceremony after all of the cases in the past years where people tried to flee the country just so they didn’t have to be paired up with a random stranger who’s thirsty for their blood. 

Kyungsoo can’t blame them.

Fleeing the country sounds very, very alluring right now. 

 

 

 

 

There are fifty-four people meeting their Guardians today.

The hall is just big enough to fit the rows of chairs, their names written down on the backs of them together with something that looks a lot like a barcode underneath. That already gives Kyungsoo a bad feeling, like they’re some sort of _products_ that are about to be sold off. 

He shakes he uneasy feeling and sits down on his assigned chair, somewhere on the side in the very last row in the back. Jongdae is sitting two rows in front of him and when his friend turns around to give him a nervous smile, Kyungsoo weakly waves back. 

Kyungsoo quickly realizes that he’s extremely underdressed, just like Jongdae told him he would be. All the guys are wearing suits, and all girls are wearing pretty dresses with shiny high heels, their hair all styled and lips shining in different shades of red.

He looks down at his tacky sweater and yeah, that’s definitely a soy sauce stain on his jeans, and Kyungsoo almost feels a little bad for the vampire that gets assigned to him.

A formal looking woman walks inside the hall and talks a lot of crap about how important today is and why the relationship between humans and vampires will make the world a better place. Kyungsoo isn’t even listening and tries not to roll his eyes in annoyance at every word being drilled into their brains.

When the woman leaves, several other people walk inside, carrying tablets in their hands as they start to call out one person after the other, guiding them out of the room. 

When the chairs start emptying, Kyungsoo for the first time ever, feels his anxiety kick in.

He has no idea what he’s getting himself into and he’s suddenly regretting always wearing his earplugs and listening to Frank Sinatra on loop during his vampire education classes. 

“Do Kyungsoo.” 

He nearly gives himself whiplash from how fast he stands up after hearing his name being called. A man is standing there, giving him a friendly smile as he drums his fingers against the tablet in his hands. Kyungsoo’s eyes flicker over the where Jongdae is, only to realize that his friends’ spot is already empty. 

The man’s smile grows even wider. “Please follow me.” 

 

 

Kyungsoo is led to a secluded room upstairs. It’s nothing extravagant; kind of sterile, almost like a hospital room. There’s a table in the middle, three chairs placed around it. 

“You may sit down.” The man instructs, keeping the door open for Kyungsoo. “I’ll be back in a minute. Please help yourself.” He points at the glass bottle filled with water and the cups on the table. 

Kyungsoo gives him a curt nod and takes a deep breath once the man is gone. 

So in a few minutes, after signing the contracts, Kyungsoo is going to be paired up with a person he’s never met before. He’s supposed to trust said person with his own life because apparently, he’s going to be in danger from now on and in return, he’s supposed to hold still for this vampire whenever they get hungry so that they can feast on his blood. 

Before Kyungsoo can finish his thought of climbing out of the window and make a run for it, the door swings open. 

The same man from before steps aside to reveal Kyungsoo’s Guardian and the first and only thing Kyungsoo notices is that, well shit, it’s a hot guy.

He’s tall and has broad shoulders and looks like he could easily snap Kyungsoo’s body in half if he wanted to. 

Kyungsoo doesn’t know what he expects to happen. Maybe he’s waiting for the guy to pull a face at the sight of his human, to look annoyed or even better; turn around and leave the room.

But the vampire does none of that. He just leans down in something like a bow before sitting down, the leather jacket he’s wearing squelching against the chair, bringing a scent of some kind cologne with him. 

He has jet black hair, neatly trimmed on the sides and longer on the top, some of the strands falling into his eyes. His gaze is fixed on Kyungsoo, a little too intense and heavy for Kyungsoo’s liking.

Poor dude was probably expecting a nice and pretty girl and instead he’s getting Kyungsoo. It’s like opening a box of pizza you put in the fridge the day before only to find that your asshole roommate ate the leftovers.

Kyungsoo almost laughs at this whole situation but the man from before clears his throat to get their attention.

“Let me introduce you both before we get to discussing your individual contracts. Do Kyungsoo, this is Kim Jongin.” 

The man looks at Kyungsoo almost expectantly, like he’s waiting for a reaction. When he receives nothing but an indifferent raise of Kyungsoo’s eyebrows he clears his throat and proceeds. “He’s part of the Red Kim clan. Their territory covers the entire south-west quarter of the city.” Again he pauses and Kyungsoo guesses he should be impressed at this point so he decides to humour them and nods his head in excitement.

Jongin is still staring at him and Kyungsoo doesn’t know if he’s annoyed or a little scared because if he looks really closely, he can see a glimmer of gold in the guy’s eyes. 

The man proceeds to talk them through their contracts, about the do’s and don’ts, what happens if they break the rules and so on. 

It’s not rocket science; Jongin is supposed to protect Kyungsoo and in return, Kyungsoo is going to give him his blood whenever he needs it.

Jongin and Kyungsoo both put their signatures down on the papers after what feels like hours.

“We have helplines that are open twenty-four hours if you ever need help or if any issues arise. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. We want you both to be comfortable in your arrangements. Are there any question you have right away?”

Jongin shakes his head and Kyungsoo remains silent. The man nods and stands up from the table, bidding them goodbye before leaving the room. 

And then they’re alone. 

Kyungsoo and Jongin look at each other silently for a few seconds. 

Now, no matter how much Kyungsoo despises the idea of having Jongin follow him around wherever he goes, he can’t deny this guy’s looks. Vampires are known to look almost ethereal to a certain degree but Jesus, Jongin looks like some sort of runway model with his pouty lips and sharp features.

Kyungsoo sighs and leans forward to rest his elbows on the table. Jongin opens his mouth to say something but Kyungsoo beats him to it. “Let me get one thing straight. I hate this.” 

Jongin snaps his mouth shut, stares at Kyungsoo blankly for another moment, before parting his lips again. “What?” 

“I don’t want any of this. The only reason I’m here is because otherwise the cops would’ve dragged my ass here and I would spend months paying off bills. I don’t want you following me around and I don’t care about getting close to you or whatever it is they want us to do.” 

Jongin is frowning now, his dark eyebrows pulled together to form a small crease. His piercings are catching the light from above, two small rings in each earlobe. “You’re joking, right?” 

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Kyungsoo gives the vampire a blank look. 

Jongin’s dark eyes move over Kyungsoo’s face. “… Kind of?” 

“Well, I’m not. I’m being serious. Stay away from me.” 

“What the fuck?” Jongin flicks his bangs out of his eyes, which have now darkened considerably. “How am I supposed to protect you?” 

Kyungsoo shrugs. “I turned twenty-one three months ago and haven’t been attacked once. I’m not scared and I really don’t need protection. Come on, buddy.” Kyungsoo laughs, winking at the vampire. “This whole shebang’s just the government’s way to keep you guys under control, we both know that. They don’t really care if us citizens die or not.” 

“Okay, hold up.” Jongin sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I just signed a contract where I promised to protect you with my life and watch over you at all times. And you signed that, too. And now you’re telling me you don’t agree with any of it?” 

“Yup.” Kyungsoo nibbles on his lower lip, feeling a little shaken under the vampire’s judging eyes. “Look, they won’t keep tabs on us all the time anyway. As long as I don’t run into trouble and stay alive everything will be peachy. So you just stay away from me and we keep living our lives the way we’ve been doing so far. Deal?”

Jongin stops trying to hide how upset he is, his nostrils flaring and shoulders tensing and Kyungsoo hates to admit that it’s a little frightening. His eyes even flash golden for a moment. “The whole point of the contract isn’t just to keep you alive, Kyungsoo.” The way he says is name is strange. Almost like he’s trying to stay respectful no matter how much of a little shit Kyungsoo is being. “By signing that, I agreed not to feed from anyone or anything but you. If you tell me to stay away now then I will have to— I need to drink blood to keep going. Don’t you get it?”  


“I do.” Kyungsoo nods. “But like, no offence, I don’t really care? You can go to one of those underground clubs where humans offer their blood—“

“Those are illegal and fucking disgusting.” Jongin scoffs, his gaze darkening. “I can’t stay away from you. I won’t. I have to protect you and you’re going to give me your blood.” 

Kyungsoo freezes a little, his muscles tensing and fingers curling into fists. “Don’t tell me what do with my _own_ body, dickhead.” 

“We’re done here.” Jongin shakes his head, looking really upset. “You better change your mind about this because otherwise I’m going to request another human and you’ll end up getting a vampire who isn’t going to be as nice as me.” 

Kyungsoo smirks without any humour behind it. There he goes. Typical vampire behaviour, because they can threaten humans like this and get away with it. 

Jongin is holding the door open for him, giving Kyungsoo an annoyed glare when he doesn’t move from his chair. “Get up!” 

“Why?”

“I’m taking you home.”

“You gotta be kidding me. Did you not listen to anything I just told you?” Kyungsoo huffs, pushing his chair back and walks past Jongin out into the hallway. “Don’t even think about following me home.”

“Listen—“

“No, you listen!” Kyungsoo knows he’s making a scene but this whole day’s been mentally draining and he just wants to go home and get his stupid assignment done without a vampire playing bodyguard for him. “I’m sick of us humans getting treated like worthless pieces of shit who can’t take care of themselves. It disgusts me that you guys play along with this whole Guardian crap just so you can have a personal fucking blood bank. You want to protect us from those monsters but if this agreement didn’t exist you’d be one of the first to kill us just to get our blood!” 

Jongin shuts his mouth, his eyes flickering over Kyungsoo’s face like he’s actually looking at him for the first time. Kyungsoo expects him to fight back but instead, Jongin clears his throat and nods his head. “Give me your phone.” 

Kyungsoo blinks at him in surprise. He knows he pushed his boundaries. He shouldn’t be talking like this to a vampire. Even his dad who’s one of the most loving and patient people on this planet would’ve put Kyungsoo in his place by now. “For what?”

“If you won’t let me take you home, at least let me give you my number. Just in case.” Jongin takes the phone from Kyungsoo and presses around on the screen for a while. “I’m on speed dial. Call me if anything happens.” Jongin gives him his phone back and without warning, leans in against Kyungsoo’s neck. 

Kyungsoo freezes. Having a vampire so close where his veins are pumping warm blood through his body isn’t something he feels extremely comfortable with. “Wow, dude, we just met—” 

“I’m memorizing your scent.” Jongin hisses, patience obviously running thin.

“You’re not a werewolf. There’s no _need_ —“

“I’ll be able to track you down without having to constantly follow you around.” Jongin explains, finally pulling back. His eyes are a brighter gold now and Kyungsoo is scared that his own scent evoked such a reaction in the vampire. “Don’t get killed.” He gives Kyungsoo another once-over, a smirk tugging on his lips.

And Kyungsoo swears he only blinks once, but he hears a sudden _whoosh_ and when he opens his eyes again Jongin’s just— gone. 

Tiny specks of dust are floating in the now empty space.

Like he was never here in the first place. 

Kyungsoo takes a deep breath, clutching his phone tightly in his fingers before he turns to leave this place. 

 

 

 

 

It takes Jongin exactly one day to show up despite him being told to stay away.

Because when Kyungsoo walks back home from one of his late classes, he gets this strange feeling that he’s being watched. 

He’s passing a narrow alleyway which basically invites supernatural beings to come and play with him, but it’s a shortcut he’s been using for over a year now. 

Kyungsoo stops walking, tugs one of his earplugs out to listen for any kind of noise. He can only hear the traffic from afar, a cat rummaging through a dumpster nearby and a TV playing in one of the apartments above him. 

He shrugs it off and starts walking again but he swears there’s _something_ with him and before he can think further, he’s turning around, ready to land a punch on whatever it is that’s currently planning on turning him into their dinner for tonight.

His fist gets caught in a larger hand and when the hood of Kyungsoo’s sweater falls back, he realizes that it’s not an actual threat; just his stupid vampire. 

“You idiot! You scared me.” Kyungsoo huffs, freeing his had with some difficulty. He nervously fixes his glasses and tries to ignore how Jongin is staring at him.

He looks much more normal today, almost passable as a human instead of a vampire with the university hoodie and the ripped jeans he’s wearing. You know, apart from the fact that his eyes are glowing a bright shade of gold in the dark. “I thought you weren’t scared of anything?” 

Kyungsoo just glares at him. “I thought you were a thief.”

Jongin hums, his eyes trailing over Kyungsoo’s figure once before focusing on his eyes again. “You need to change your route when you’re walking home. This isn’t safe.”

“No one asked you.” Kyungsoo turns around to walk away, aware that Jongin is following him. “I’ve been taking this route forever, it’s safe.” 

“It’s really not.” 

“Why are you here anyway?” Kyungsoo kicks at a pebble with his dirty sneaker. “I told you to stay away.” 

“A girl was attacked in this area yesterday night.” Jongin’s voice sounds impossibly close, and impossibly dark. Kyungsoo’s shoulders hunch up for some reason. “I’m making sure the same doesn’t happen to you.” 

“Are you sure you’re not just hungry and looking for an excuse to drink my blood?” Kyungsoo snorts, shaking his head because he knows that’s exactly what’s going on. 

Jongin suddenly grips Kyungsoo’s wrist, his grip so hard it almost hurts as he forcefully turns Kyungsoo around to face him. He’s a lot taller than Kyungsoo, enough that he has to actually crane his neck a little to meet his eyes, which is annoying.

His eyes are hard, his skin surprisingly warm where he’s still holding Kyungsoo’s wrist. “You’re annoying as fuck, man, but I’m not going to drink your blood against your will.” 

“You could.” Kyungsoo says. “It says so in the contract.” 

Jongin’s eyebrows pull together, almost like Kyungsoo’s words pain him. “I know but I’m not— we’re not all like that, okay? I’m not a monster.” 

“Well, but you’re not human either.” Kyungsoo didn’t really mean to say that, sometimes he just— he just doesn’t know when to stop talking, okay? 

Jongin immediately lets go of him, doing his best to mask the flicker of emotions in his eyes. 

They’re so so dark and guarded it’s impossible to catch a glimpse of anything in them but either way, Kyungsoo knows what he said was inappropriate. Kyungsoo tries to push the guilt to the bottom of his stomach, clearing his throat to speak. “How did you do that?”

“Do what?” The vampire asks after half a minute of ignoring Kyungsoo. He’s definitely upset; his jaw working and eyebrows knitted together.

“Last time.” Kyungsoo mumbles. “You just disappeared into thin air.” 

“I teleported.”

That’s kind of cool. As far as Kyungsoo knows, only very high ranked or pureblood vampires have stronger powers like that. “So you’re a pureblood or something?” 

“Oh, you’re interested?” Jongin’s mood seems to change in an instant; suddenly he’s grinning at Kyungsoo and it’s enough to momentarily knock the air out of Kyungsoo’s lungs. His stoic expression morphs into something warm, making Jongin look young and almost innocent, if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s got deadly fangs in his mouth and is strong enough to take down a whole pack of wolves if he wanted to.

“Nope. Couldn’t care less, actually.” Kyungsoo huffs and shakes off the hand that’s still curled around his wrist. “I’m going home. Don’t follow me.” 

“Whatever you want.” Jongin says, a smile gradually appearing on his face, and something tells Kyungsoo that even though he can’t see Jongin for the rest of his walk home, the vampire is still hovering around to protect him.

For a second, he finds the thought almost a little calming, but he shakes it off just as fast.

He doesn’t need protection, and he definitely doesn’t need a self entitled vampire to provide him with it.

 

 

 

 

Most humans that get paired up with vampires end up… falling in love. 

It happens in most cases and it’s something the government actively encourages the pairs to do. A “marked” human keeps other sorts of supernatural beings at bay. Even though they’re technically still easy victims to them, a marked human is automatically part of a clan, and attacking them means attacking an entire group of strong vampires, and no one wants to deal with that, supernatural or not.

When a human and vampire fall in love, the vampire claims them first and marks them in the end, meaning they become mates. It doesn’t mean anything in the human world, but it’s a life changer for vampires.

Since vampires are immortal and humans definitely aren’t, a lot of humans will drink their vampires’ blood. It doesn’t make them immortal, but it protects them from diseases and actually makes them stop ageing, as long as they keep drinking it.

It’s a scary concept to Kyungsoo. He doesn’t think he will ever understand or support it.

It doesn’t come as a surprise when Kyungsoo visits Jongdae the week after they met their assigned vampires to already find a claim mark on his friend’s shoulder.

“Please tell me this is a joke.” Kyungsoo mutters, his eyes fixated on the teeth marks on Jongdae’s skin.

Jongdae chuckles nervously, tugging on his collar to hide the mark from Kyungsoo’s eyes. “Come inside first.” 

Kyungsoo snorts, trying to act nonchalant about it when really, his heart sinks in his chest. “A week, dude. It’s only been a week and you’re already mated?” 

Jongdae shrugs his shoulders as he sits down next to him on the couch. “We didn’t expect it to happen so fast, okay? But it just did. We both felt it and I mean— I really think she’s my soulmate, Kyungsoo. So what’s the problem?”  


“Are you even listening to yourself?” Kyungsoo sighs. “It’s been a week and you’re saying she’s your soulmate. Are you sure she’s not using their weird superpower thing to get you to submit to her—“

“Okay, look” Jongdae huffs, his shoulders tense. “I know you don’t like them. I get it. But not all of them are like those monsters, Kyungsoo.” 

He’s repeating Jongin’s words. 

“You always tell me not to judge people before you get to know them so why the fuck are you so adamant to hate them?” Jongdae reaches a hand out to ruffle Kyungsoo’s hair. He likes to treat Kyungsoo like he’s a toddler compared to him, even though they’re the same age. “Yeeun is the nicest girl I’ve ever met. Yes, Kyungsoo. She’s a _girl_ before she’s a vampire.” 

Kyungsoo sits there like a child that’s being scolded, his arms crossed over his chest. He meets his friend’s eyes and feels his heart break at the hurt he finds there. They may be fighting for the better half of the time they spend together, but Kyungsoo loves Jongdae like a brother and hurting him will never sit right with him. 

“I’m sorry, hyung.” He mumbles, his lip jutting out into a pout. “I’m happy for you. I— I really am. As long as she doesn’t hurt you.”  


“It’s fine, Soo.” Jongdae smiles at him and just like that, they’re okay again. “What about you? How are things with Jongin?”

“Don’t know. We don’t see each other that much.” 

Jongdae frowns at him. “You didn’t let him drink from you yet?”

“Jesus, hyung, what do you think? Of course not.” 

“But Soo… You know he’s going to have to, sooner or later.” Jongdae’s tone is almost a little warning.

“I don’t care. He can go suck someone else’s blood.”

“You know he can’t do that, Soo.” Jongdae gives him a chiding look. “I’m guessing he’s pretty strong, since he’s a pureblood and all, but Yeeun started getting weaker like, four days into our contract. They need blood like we need water, Soo. Just… keep that in mind.”

 

 

 

 

The next time Kyungsoo sees Jongin, he’s waiting in front of the public library. He has his shiny red Lambo parked on the street, leaning against it with his phone in his hand, looking like some kind of runway model. 

Everyone’s staring at him, whispering about him being one of the members of the great fucking Red Kim Clan and Kyungsoo feels anger boil in his chest. It’s been a long day full of boring lectures and cramming and all he wants to do is go home and sleep.

He doesn’t have the nerve to deal with anyone, let alone with this ridiculous scene that might as well be from one of those romcom dramas Baekhyun’s obsessed with.

Jongin senses his presence way too soon, looking up from his phone while Kyungsoo walks down the steps towards him. He doesn’t smile but he puts his phone away. “Hi.”

“What do you want?” Kyungsoo snaps, well aware that several groups of people are watching them. 

Jongin doesn’t seem surprised by his attitude. There’s no change in emotion on his face and it’s scary, how much control he has over his body. One thing Kyungsoo notices is that the vampire looks tired. “I’m driving you home.” 

“Do I look like I want you to drive me home?” Kyungsoo asks. “Which part of leave me alone do you not understand? Aren’t you vampires supposed to be intelligent or something?” 

He sees Jongin’s muscles tense in his shoulders and almost feels a little satisfied that he managed to get a reaction out of him. “There’s a rogue vampire in town. We haven’t caught him yet so I can’t let you walk around on your own.” 

“I’m not your property and I’m not a helpless little boy—“

“Get in the fucking car!” Jongin snarls, making Kyungsoo flinch and curl into himself. His eyes are burning gold and Kyungsoo’s pretty sure he just caught a glimpse of his sharp fangs. Jongin’s face relaxes instantly, his eyes softening once he sees the obvious fear in Kyungsoo’s eyes. “I’m sorry but fuck, you’re driving me up the wall— Please just get in the car. Please.” He pleads, looking so exhausted it makes Kyungsoo’s heart ache. 

Kyungsoo swallows heavily, shrugging his backpack off and silently climbing into the car when Jongin opens the door for him. 

The drive is silent for the first few minutes, Kyungsoo sitting still like he expects Jongin to snap again if he moves a muscle. It’s warm in the car, a stark contrast against the cold autumn weather outside.

Jongin’s knuckles are white on the steering wheel, holding on so tight Kyungsoo fears the car won’t be able to endure the vampire’s strength. 

He almost wants to ask what’s wrong but he doesn’t because he’s not worried. He isn’t.

“You’re hungry, aren’t you?” Kyungsoo breaks the silence, his voice small and almost getting lost over the sound of traffic around them. 

Jongin swallows heavily. Even from the side, he looks in pain. When he shakes his head, his piercings catch the light of the lights outside. “I’m fine.” 

Kyungsoo smiles humourlessly, remembering what Jongdae told him. How his vampire grew weak in only four days. It’s been two weeks now since they signed the contract. “Why don’t you go drink someone else’s blood? You can. We’re not mates.” 

Jongin tenses even more at that, his eyes burning holes through the windshield. “I’m not going against our contract.”

“But you’re in pain!” Kyungsoo throws a hand in the air, knocking it against the hood of the car. “Stop being so goddamn stubborn. You’re going to kill yourself.”

“ _I’m_ being stubborn?” Jongin chuckles weakly. 

Kyungsoo turns to face him, glaring. “That’s not the same. This is _my_ body. I chose what I’m doing with it.” 

Jongin clenches his jaw and then closes his eyes, his hands relaxing around the steering wheel. “I know. And I’m fine. I’ve gone months without drinking from anyone so this is nothing.” 

“Well, suit yourself.” Kyungsoo sighs, sinking back into his seat. “I just don’t want to be responsible if I end up stumbling over your corpse one morning.” 

“I’m immortal, Kyungsoo.” Jongin turns to look at him, giving him a weak smile. He looks different when he smiles. Almost gentle and just so— so handsome it’s annoying. “I won’t die. I just get embarrassingly weak.” 

“Oh, that would hurt your vampire pride, wouldn’t it?”

“It really would.” Jongin chuckles and Kyungsoo finds himself smiling. He stops himself as soon as he realizes what he’s doing. 

“Can we stop there?” Kyungsoo mumbles after a while, pointing at a grocery store on the side. “I need to pick up some stuff.”

Jongin’s eyes flicker to the sky where the sun is setting. “Sure. Just hurry up.” 

The grocery store is practically empty so Kyungsoo doesn’t understand why Jongin is basically sticking to his back all the time. 

“Back. Off!” Kyungsoo hisses, pushing Jongin away by jabbing an elbow into the vampire’s ribs. “Don’t touch me.”

He hears Jongin curse and when he turns to look at him, the vampire is rubbing his ribs with a pout on his lips. The adorable sight almost makes him drop the jar of tomato sauce he’s holding. 

He’s a broke college student. He’s a pro at this, knows where the low budget items and no brand products are. He has like ten bucks in his pockets, that’ll have to be enough to keep him alive for the next two weeks at least even though his body will suffer under the sodium-packed diet.

He’s grabbing some cup noodles when he notices a shadow in the corners of his eyes. Kyungsoo looks up to find an older man looking at him. 

No, scratch that. He’s _watching_ him. 

Kyungsoo frowns, feeling a little uneasy because people usually avert their eyes when they’re caught looking but this man looks like he’s about to approach Kyungsoo now that he’s got his attention. 

It doesn’t happen often that Kyungsoo gets scared but something about this dude creeps the hell out of him. He doesn’t look like he just wants to have a nice chat with him. 

Kyungsoo turns around and walks away, towards the checkout and cursing himself when he finds that he’s unable to locate his vampire that was supposed to be protecting him before Kyungsoo went and shooed him away like the idiot he is—

He almost jumps out of his skin when someone appears right in of front of him, Kyungsoo colliding with them and he’s one hundred percent sure it’s the man from before so he’s ready to throw his fists—

“Shh.” Jongin whispers before Kyungsoo can start attacking him “Hug me.”

“No?”

Jongin growls, reaching a hand out to grip Kyungsoo’s arm and pull him against his chest harshly. Kyungsoo groans when his forehead smashes against the brick wall that is Kim Jongin’s chest, not even realizing how Jongin’s arms are wrapping around Kyungsoo’s frame to pull him closer.

“Fuck! I think I’ve got a concussion. You better pay my medical bills, asshole.” Kyungsoo mutters, gathering the few groceries he has in one arm so they don’t fall. “Hey, hey. There was a guy—”

“I know.” Jongin shushes him. “He’s still here. Be quiet.”

Kyungsoo ignores him. “What does he want?” 

Jongin seems reluctant to answer. “You’re not part of a clan and you’re not marked.” Jongin explains, hugging him closer. Kyungsoo squeezes his eyes shut when his heart starts racing. There’s no way Jongin doesn’t hear it. “It makes you an easy target.” 

“Oh.” Kyungsoo bites down on his bottom lip. 

He hears something move a few feet behind him and feels a growl rumble through Jongin’s chest, almost animalistic while his arm tightens around Kyungsoo’s waist. Jongin lowers his face against Kyungsoo’s neck, inhaling his scent and Kyungsoo can’t help but shudder at the intimacy of it, how close Jongin’s mouth is to his pulse. “Sorry I’m— I’m trying to cover up your scent with mine. You smell really…”

“I didn’t shower today yet.” Kyungsoo blurts, feeling something like a laugh rumble through Jongin. 

“That’s not it, you idiot.” Jongin whispers against his skin. “You smell amazing. Not just to me. Your blood is— it’s—“

This makes Kyungsoo tense against him, forcefully holding himself back from pushing Jongin away. He doesn’t have to, because Jongin finally lets him go, stepping away and turning to hide his face from Kyungsoo. 

He’s not fast enough because Kyungsoo still catches a glimpse of his blown pupils, the dark purple veins rippling under his eyes. The sight startles him because it really doesn’t look like Jongin is holding off too well.

“Let’s go.” Jongin mutters before Kyungsoo can address the issue, turning away from him. 

Kyungsoo watches his back for a moment before turning around to see if the man is gone, and finds that there’s no one there anymore. 

 

 

Jongin is awfully silent during the drive back and Kyungsoo slowly feels guilt creep up on him, settling heavily in his chest, like when you swallow something too fast without chewing it enough before. 

After all, Kyungsoo isn’t the only one in this agreement that didn’t really have another choice but to sign the stupid contract. And it’s been two weeks, so far Jongin hasn’t tried to force himself on Kyungsoo. 

He _is_ practically starving himself because Kyungsoo is refusing to fulfil his part of the agreement and he hasn’t reported Kyungsoo yet either. 

Jongin stops the car in front of Kyungsoo’s apartment complex and Kyungsoo doesn’t even bother asking how he knows his address. He doesn’t look at Kyungsoo when he speaks. “Stay safe.” 

Kyungsoo gathers the groceries to his chest clumsily and climbs out of the car. Some of them fall to the ground and he grumbles, picking them back up. 

He’s not sure what he wants to say. A simple goodbye would’ve surely done it, but Jongin’s already closing the door and drives off before Kyungsoo can open his mouth. 

He remains standing there for another ten seconds, mulling over the mess he’s causing. 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo is going to die. 

Yeah, okay, maybe it was a stupid idea to keep taking the shortcut despite Jongin and Jongdae telling him not to. 

He obviously won’t listen to the vampire but when your best friend warns you about something, you usually take it to heart.

If he dies tonight (which he will), he’s only getting what he deserves for being an absolute moron. 

He hears the footsteps behind him, hears them loud and clear, but when he turns to check, the alley is eerily empty.

Kyungsoo quickens his steps, gripping the straps of his bag tighter like they might save his life. The footsteps are back behind him, faster this time. 

“ _And now the end is near…_ ” Kyungsoo sings quietly, like he’s hoping for Frank Sinatra’s spirit to hear his call for help and come save his sorry ass. He couldn’t have come up with some happier lyrics, could he? “ _And so I face the final c-curtain—_ “ He whimpers the last part because something’s suddenly gripping his backpack, stopping him from walking. 

“Why don’t you stop walking and make this easier for both of us?” 

Kyungsoo’s face crumples pathetically. This isn’t the heroic death he was imagining for himself.

The voice is low and raspy and it’s so close the whatever-it-is might as well be breathing down his neck. 

“I-I have a Guardian.” He stutters. 

“Oh, do you now?” In a flash, there’s a guy standing in front of Kyungsoo. He looks pretty normal, wearing an all black outfit, the turtleneck sweater so big it covers his hands and mouth. “You don’t have a mark, though.” 

“That doesn’t mean anything.” Kyungsoo tries to keep his voice steady, especially when he realizes that this guy’s eyes are completely black, like he has no pupils at all. It’s like looking into a black hole. 

The guy snickers, the sound almost a little robotic. “I’ll make it quick.” 

He suddenly pulls the collar of his sweater down and Kyungsoo lets out a pitiful whimper, stumbling back when it reveals the man’s mouth full of sharp, pointy teeth. The corners of his lips are caked with blood. 

“Fuck off, my vampire will kill you!” Kyungsoo miserably tries, still stumbling back until an arm wraps around his waist to pull him in, something sharp digging into his skin.

“I don’t see a vampire here.” He growls, a sinister smile spreading on his ashen face. Kyungsoo struggles in his hold, landing a weak punch in the creature’s face, which was a bad idea because the claws on his back dig in so hard he’s sure they’re drawing blood. “Worthless human—“ 

“Let him go.” 

Kyungsoo closes his eyes, his body sagging in relief when he hears the familiar voice behind him.

“This human belongs to you?” The guy mutters.

“He does.” Jongin calmly says. “I said let him go.” 

“He’s unmarked.” 

“He’s mine.” Jongin’s voice drops lower, stressing the last word. “And _you’re_ not supposed to be here. This is our territory.” 

Kyungsoo wonders why Jongin isn’t just killing the guy, instead being so civil with him. The claws in his back dig in further, making Kyungsoo flinch in pain which doesn’t go unnoticed by Jongin who’s standing right next to him in an instant, a hand curled around the guy’s throat.

It happens so fast Kyungsoo isn’t sure _what_ exactly happens. All he knows is that the guy throws him against the wall of the alley and hears a lot of nasty slashing and growling sounds, looking up just in time to see Jongin snap the guy’s neck with a sickening crack, before the guy falls to the floor in a lifeless heap. 

Kyungsoo is groaning in pain by the time Jongin moves to squat down in front of him. 

“Hey. Are you okay?” Jongin cradles his face in his hands, the rings on his fingers cool against Kyungsoo’s heated cheeks.

Kyungsoo is still high on adrenaline. He nearly _died_. And Jongin being so close right now, smelling faintly of that cologne he was wearing on the first day they met, his eyes full of concern, it’s not helping. 

“Is he dead?” Stupid question. Of course he’s dead. Jongin fucking snapped his neck. 

Jongin’s eyes flash before he lowers his gaze. “He was trespassing. I would’ve had to kill him even if he wasn’t attacking you.” 

“What is he? His teeth were like— they looked like shark teeth, what the fuck?” 

Jongin smiles at Kyungsoo’s words, hands leaving Kyungsoo’s cheeks. “That was a ghoul.” 

“Really? Wow.” 

“Can you stand up?” 

Kyungsoo nods, his legs feeling a little wobbly and a sharp pain shooting down his spine but he manages to stand with Jongin’s help. “Ow.”

“Where does it hurt?” The worry in Jongin’s tone makes his chest ache in a strange way. He liked it better when the vampire was calling him annoying. Kyungsoo stares at him, not sure what to do with the sudden feelings. 

“I-I’m fine.” Kyungsoo clears his throat.

Jongin nods, licking his lips and Kyungsoo feels a little light headed. “I’ll take you home.” 

Kyungsoo’s eyes catch on something red on Jongin’s arm and they widen when he finally notices the gashes on Jongin’s skin, soaking his sweater crimson. “Holy shit dude, you’re bleeding!” 

“It’s nothing.” Jongin gently grips his wrist, walking them out of the alley. 

“Jongin, you’re bleeding.” Kyungsoo dumbly repeats himself. 

Jongin throws him a look over his shoulder, a weak smile tugging on his lips. “That almost sounds like you’re worried about me.” 

“N-No way.” Kyungsoo doesn’t even have it in himself to snap at the vampire right now. 

“You might want to get your spine checked if it still hurts tomorrow.” Jongin mutters once they arrive in front of Kyungsoo’s apartment. He’s not meeting Kyungsoo’s eyes for some reason. “I’ll pick you up from school tomorrow. I’m… really sorry for not being there today, we had a clan meeting and I can’t _sense_ you if I don’t drink—“

“You saved my life.” Kyungsoo interrupts him, not wanting to hear anymore. He knows it’s his fault alone he nearly died tonight. If he would let Jongin drink his blood, the vampire would be able to easily sense danger even before it happened. He wonders how Jongin knew he was in trouble despite them lacking that connection. “I… Uhm. Thank you.” 

“It’s fine.” Jongin says, still not looking up. “It’s my job.” 

Of course. Jongin was only doing his job. And now it’s supposed to be Kyungsoo’s turn. 

Kyungsoo feels a sense of dread rise in him, his heart beating faster in anxiety.

“Stop that.” Jongin is finally looking at him, his eyes hard and devoid of any emotion. “I’m not going to touch you. I told you I wouldn’t.” 

Kyungsoo looks at him, his blood soaked arm, the way some of his gelled up dark hair falls into his face. Jongin looks really pale right now, alarmingly so. “Come inside.” He says before he can stop himself. 

Jongin sucks in a breath, his eyes widening and Kyungsoo must have about the same reaction. “You—“ Jongin starts frowning. “Why did you say that?” 

Kyungsoo seriously just invited a vampire inside his home; a vampire he actually wants to stay away from him. He’s a computer science major. He’s supposed to be smarter than this. 

“It’s the least I can do.” Kyungsoo points at Jongin’s arm uneasily. “I’ll help you clean up and I think I have some leftovers we can eat.” 

Jongin’s gaze is burning and Kyungsoo suddenly can’t stop himself from thinking about how concerned he looked when he touched Kyungsoo’s face in the alley. “Are you sure?” 

No. “Yeah. Just— Just don’t…”

“How many times do I have to tell you?” Jongin looks a little pained. “I won’t do anything without your permission. Please don’t— don’t be scared of me.” 

Kyungsoo nods his head, his fingers shaking as he fishes for his keys in his backpack. Jongin keeps his distance when they enter the apartment on the third floor, his eyes moving around to take in Kyungsoo’s home curiously. 

Kyungsoo lets him look around for a while, leaning against the back of the couch as he watches Jongin inspect his surroundings. He looks like a normal college student if it wasn’t for the blood on his clothes. He definitely doesn’t look like he just killed a guy. 

“I’ll get something to clean that up.” Kyungsoo clears his throat. It’s weird not to be fighting with the vampire. Kyungsoo doesn’t really know any other way to communicate with him.

Kyungsoo comes back with a clean towel and a small bowel filled with lukewarm water and the almost empty roll of cotton bandages he managed to find under his sink. “Sit down.” He instructs and Jongin follows like an obedient puppy. 

“You do know that this will heal in a couple of hours.” Jongin mumbles when Kyungsoo pulls the sleeve of his hoodie back to expose the deep cuts in his skin. 

Kyungsoo nods and begins cleaning the skin around the cuts. “Does this mess disappear magically as well?” He asks, grinning to himself when Jongin shuts his mouth. 

“How’s your back?” Jongin asks. He seems relaxed and he looks soft and sleepy, his hair a little out of place after the fight earlier. Kyungsoo looks up to meet his eyes, searching for the glimmer of gold around his pupils. The gold seems to be moving a little, like waves, or almost like a pulse. Very faintly, moving in tandem with Jongin’s heartbeat. A human wouldn’t be able to see it unless they were sitting close to Jongin, like Kyungsoo is right now. 

“It’s okay.” Kyungsoo quickly says when Jongin raises his eyebrows at him. “I’ll probably get a nasty bruise but that’s all.” 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there earlier.” Jongin apologizes again. “I couldn’t protect you like I was supposed to.” 

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, dabbing the towel a little too harshly against a cut, making Jongin flinch in pain effectively. “Don’t start with that crap. I didn’t even want to be protected, remember? You could’ve just left me to die and I wouldn’t have blamed you.”

“I would never do that.” Jongin frowns at him. “I’ll die before I let you get killed.” 

The words send heat rushing to Kyungsoo’s cheeks, his stomach flipping sickeningly. Why does his stupid vampire say stupid stuff like that? He’s supposed to be cocky and ignorant and a douchebag.

Why did they give Kyungsoo a broken one? 

“Is that stupid contract that important to you?” Kyungsoo asks, glaring at the vampire’s injuries so he doesn’t have to meet his eyes instead.  


Jongin gazes at him in silence for a moment. “It’s not just the contract. If you have the kind of power we have, you have the responsibility to protect those that don’t. It would be selfish of us to just let you deal with those monsters when there’s no possibility for you guys to defend yourselves.” 

“We’re not weak just because we don’t have your powers.” Kyungsoo mutters, not able to keep the bitter tone out of his voice. 

“Fuck, Kyungsoo. Are you _trying_ to get offended by every single thing leaving my mouth?” Jongin asks, a confused and upset look on his face. “I’m not saying you’re weak. I’m just saying how it is. Humans are— you guys aren’t immortal. If you die there’s no going back. Do you… Do you understand what I’m trying to say?” 

Kyungsoo doesn’t answer. He places a pad on both of the cuts before starting to wrap the gauze around Jongin’s arm tightly, securing it with some tape he managed to find. 

Jongin is confusing him. He doesn’t know if he can trust Jongin’s words, because a part of him thinks it’s all an act; it’s just Jongin’s way to get Kyungsoo to open up to him faster so that he’ll hold still for him when he wants his blood.

“Kyungsoo,” Jongin murmurs, his voice low and rumbling, sending a shiver down Kyungsoo’s spine. He’s refusing to look up, busying himself by gathering all the supplies scattered on the couch between them. “We’re in this forever unless you request another Guardian.” 

Kyungsoo feels his heart drop to the pit of his stomach at the thought of having a Guardian that isn’t Jongin. He isn’t supposed to feel like that. “It would just be the same. It doesn’t matter who my Guardian is. My feelings won’t change.” 

Jongin’s face falls at Kyungsoo’s words. He nods his head, a tired look washing over his features. “Can we try to get along, at least? I’m not— I’m not trying to guilt-trip you but this is exhausting for me as it is. Your attitude isn’t helping.” 

There’s a snappy response prickling on the tip of his tongue but Kyungsoo forces himself to bite down on it, standing up with the supplies in his hands. He puts them away and when he comes back, Jongin’s sitting there with his shoulders slumped and eyes closed, like he’s trying to sleep. 

He looks so tired, like he hasn’t seen a bed in over a week. Guilt gnaws at Kyungsoo’s heart but he pushes it away as best as he can. 

“Are you hungry?” Kyungsoo asks, not even surprised when Jongin doesn’t startle. He’s probably been listening to Kyungsoo’s footsteps all this time anyway.

Jongin swallows heavily, the quiet exchange between their eyes enough to tell Kyungsoo what Jongin is thinking of. A shudder of fear and the sudden urge to cover up his skin runs through him when it hits him. 

“Hungry for _food_.” Kyungsoo crosses his arms over his chest so he doesn’t feel as exposed in front of the vampire. Not that he could stand a chance if Jongin suddenly decided that he’s had enough of Kyungsoo’s attitude and went for his neck.

“Sure.” 

Kyungsoo places two bowls of steaming noodles with leftover beef on the coffee table a few minutes later, sitting down on the floor with his back pressed against the couch. Jongin mirrors him, leaving a safe amount of space between them.

“I’m going to watch a movie.” Kyungsoo announces unnecessarily when the silence in his tiny apartment gets suffocating. 

Jongin gives him a weird look, snorting before picking up his chopsticks. “Okay?” 

Kyungsoo mindlessly scrolls through his Netflix page before going back to his list and choosing from there. Jongin smiles upon seeing what he picked. “It’s a good movie.” Kyungsoo defends himself.

“I didn’t say anything.” 

“I can physically feel the judgement, man.” 

“I’m not judging you.” Jongin rolls his eyes. “Just doesn’t surprise me you’d go for a children’s movie, is all.”

“Okay, first of all, fuck you. It’s not a children’s movie.” Kyungsoo will never stop defending the masterpiece that is _Inside Out_. “And why does it not surprise you? What’s that even supposed to mean?” 

Jongin chuckles, the sound low and rumbling in Kyungsoo’s chest. “Are you always this easily… triggered?” 

“No. You just have that effect on me.” 

“Wow.” Jongin stuffs his mouth with noodles. “You must really hate me.” 

“Touché.” 

For a fraction of a second after not getting a response from the vampire, Kyungsoo worries he might’ve gone too far again, but when he turns to look at him and check, Jongin is smiling down into his bowl of noodles. 

The sight makes his stomach clench almost painfully but Kyungsoo is quick to blame it on the food that may or may not be expired. 

 

 

That night, when Kyungsoo doesn’t even bother to try and hide his tears during Bing Bong’s death scene, and Jongin surprises him by handing him a tissue from the coffee table wordlessly, something shifts in him. 

It’s not like he magically accepts this forced relationship they have, definitely not. But he can feel how sincerely Jongin is trying to make this work even though he’s suffering so much and not even Do Kyungsoo is heartless enough to be a douchebag to someone who doesn’t seem to deserve it. 

“I’ll make an effort.” Kyungsoo mutters once the movie is over and his tears have dried. “To make this easier for both of us. But that’s all. I’m not— I’m not giving you permission to use my body or touch me. You’re free to report me if you want.” 

Jongin nods his head. “Okay.” 

“Okay you agree or okay you’re reporting me?”

“I’m not reporting you.” Jongin sighs, rubbing a hand over his eyes. 

“When was the last time you drank?” Kyungsoo asks, his voice frustrated because it just doesn’t make sense for Jongin to be so understanding and _kind._ He could easily pin Kyungsoo down and suck every last drop of blood out of him if he wanted and Kyungsoo knows Jongin is hungry. He’s seen him hold his breath or cover his nose with the sleeve of his jumper whenever Kyungsoo stood up to put the dishes away or use the bathroom. 

“A while ago.” Jongin’s eyes lock with his and Kyungsoo is unable to look away. Having a vampire that’s not Hongbin in his own home is frightening but Jongin almost seems to blend in, looking warm and inviting and soft with his dishevelled hair and mismatched earrings. “Do you not know anything about how vampires work?” 

“Never paid attention in vampire-ed classes.”

“When I don’t drink for a while, I lose things like my heightened hearing or sharp sight. Superhuman speed and everything that comes from being what I am. Can’t teleport anymore.”

“Oh, so you turn into a human. How absolutely _degrading.”_

Jongin sighs, shaking his head. “It means I can’t protect you anymore either, Kyungsoo.” 

Kyungsoo closes his mouth, swallowing when he remembers the events of before. The scrapes of the creature’s claws have dried and are aching on his lower back. “Tonight was a onetime thing. I just… happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“No.” Jongin’s eyes are hard, gold flickering again around his pupils. “You don’t just _run_ into trouble, Kyungsoo. They don’t do these things unplanned. They seek out their victims and chose them after carefully observing them. I told you before. You’re probably one of the easiest targets in the whole city right now, you fool.” 

Kyungsoo narrows his eyes, leaning over to cross the space between them to jab a finger into the vampire’s shoulder in frustration. He’s getting a little too close without realizing. “All the more reason for you to stop being an idiot and go drink from someone else—“

“I don’t want anyone else’s blood!” Jongin fires back between clenched teeth and he suddenly freezes, the gold in his eyes dilating until it’s covering the entirety of his irises.

“What?” Kyungsoo moves back a little, his voice careful and uncertain because Jongin does not look very good right now.

“Why didn’t you tell me—“ Jongin presses his nose into the bend of his elbow, his voice unsteady and cracking. “You’re _bleeding_.” 

“What are you talking about?“ Kyungsoo stops himself, his eyes widening as the cuts on his back suddenly start throbbing. 

Oh, fuck. 

Jongin scrambles to his feet and Kyungsoo gets up as well, approaching him with his palms open as to somehow calm him down but Jongin holds a trembling hand out to keep him away. 

A small whimper leaves Jongin’s lips and the sound makes Kyungsoo’s chest ache horribly. 

The vampire looks like he’s in physical pain, which he probably is, and it’s all Kyungsoo’s fault. 

“Jongin—” Kyungsoo helplessly says. 

Jongin gives him one last look, his eyes pained.

Suddenly, they turn fiery red, and before Kyungsoo has time to process anything, Jongin vanishes into thin air.

 

 

 

 

After what happened that night, Kyungsoo doesn’t expect to see his vampire again anytime soon, and he also doesn’t know what to about how bad that makes him feel.

He shouldn’t care, it’s not— it’s not Kyungsoo’s fault. Jongin needs to stop being such a goody two shoes and just drink from someone else. Kyungsoo knows almost the entirety of the city would _pay_ to have a member of the Red Kim Clan drink their blood, let alone Jongin. 

He usually doesn’t pay attention to all the gossiping and whispering that goes on around him but it’s different now. It’s like he can’t help but listen whenever he hears a group of people mention Jongin’s name. It’s only been three days since that night and Kyungsoo isn’t sure if it has to do with all the assignments and projects he’s working on or if it’s the lack of a certain someone’s presence in his life that’s making him so miserable. 

“You look like shit.” Jongdae says, looking up from him laptop. They’re sitting in a study booth next to the library because they tend to talk to each other during their study sessions and no one can give them dirty looks for it here.

“I feel like it.” 

“People are talking, you know.” Jongdae mumbles, gnawing on his lower lip. “They’re wondering why you’re not marked yet.” 

Oh, Kyungsoo knows. He knows what they’re saying. That Jongin isn’t marking him because Kyungsoo isn’t good enough, or handsome enough, that the poor vampire is looking for a way out of their arrangement without breaking the law. “I know they are…” 

It’s not like the words are getting to him; but he’s tired and hasn’t slept well in the past few days, so he can’t help it when he ends up sounding upset. 

“Hey, Soo. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned it.” Jongdae has a crestfallen look on his face, reaching out to take Kyungsoo’s hand.

“It’s fine, hyung.” Kyungsoo gives him a tired smile, squeezing his best friend’s hand. “You know those things don’t get to me.”

Jongdae nods, looking conflicted about what he’s going to say next. “I respect your decision, Soo, you know I do.” Jongdae sighs, pulling the earplug in his right ear out. “But it’s getting darker outside earlier and you know… after what happened to that girl last night. I’m worried.” 

Kyungsoo looks down at his textbook, eyes drifting over a software analysis while a nasty feeling crawls up his pine. 

He thinks about the news this morning and all the warnings they kept announcing through campus speakers all day long. They found the corpse of a human girl last night, sucked completely dry by someone who definitely was a vampire given the teeth marks found on her body. 

Her Guardian’s being question by the police right now, accused of violating the law and is now facing possible jail time. 

She wasn’t marked, either.

He wonders why that is. Was she in the same position Kyungsoo is in right now? And would Jongin be going to jail as well if Kyungsoo ends up dead just because of Kyungsoo’s stubbornness? 

“I’ll be fine.” Kyungsoo nods, bringing his hands up to try and rub some of the exhaustion from his eyes. “I mean, yeah it sucks for the poor girl and her family but like— I’m still half convinced they’re staging these things. You know, like, _this will happen to you too if you walk around unmarked,_ that kind of thing.” 

It makes sense. The government can’t be trusted and Kyungsoo wouldn’t be surprised if they killed off innocent people for their own benefit. He _knows_ it happens, he’ll just never understand why the majority of citizens chose to turn a blind eye to all of it. 

“Are you serious?” Jongdae frowns at him. “So all of the recent murders were staged. Is that what you’re saying?”  


“I don’t know.” Kyungsoo groans, tipping his head back and closing his eyes against the harsh ceiling lights. “All I’m saying is that I’m not going to be paranoid over this. I’m not changing my mind. I’m not getting marked.” 

Jongdae studies his face for a good minute, silent and observing like his best friend always is. “You know what? No. I’m not watching you get yourself killed over your stupid pride.” 

Kyungsoo gasps, glaring at his best friend in shock. “You did not just say that. Do not go there.” 

“I _am_ going there.” Jongdae gives him an annoying smile. “Do I need to remind your that all my four siblings are vampires? That I grew up as that weird kid with too many allergies and nerdy glasses while my siblings were basically ruling the whole school cause they were the only ones who were gonna get the Bite after high school? Tough luck, Kyungsoo! There’s no point whining about it for the rest of your life. I get that you have your moral principles or whatever but you gotta draw the line somewhere, man. If it’s putting your life at risk you seriously need to rethink your life choices.” 

“You know what—” Kyungsoo gives him the coldest sweet smile he can muster. “I don’t need this. Goodbye.” 

“Oh come, Soo. Stop being such a child for once.” Jongdae rolls his eyes, familiar with Kyungsoo’s mood swings by now.

“Stop talking. You’re just making it worse.” Kyungsoo huffs, throwing all his stuff into his backpack before shouldering it. “Oh and that sweater you’re wearing? Looks like ass.” 

“Grow up.” Jongdae sighs. 

“Stop wearing insoles.” Kyungsoo shoots back.

Jongdae looks seriously hurt, and just like that, Kyungsoo’s shoulders drop in regret. 

“Sorry.” Kyungsoo purses his lips, walking back to press a quick kiss on Jongdae’s head. “I went too far.”

“Damn right you did.” Jongdae mumbles, fiddling with the pen in his hands. “You want me to walk you home?”  


“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry so much, okay?”

Jongdae gives him a concerned look, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s hard not to with everything happening around us. I wish you would just call Jongin and tell him to pick you up.” 

“He’s probably busy.” Kyungsoo sighs, turning around. “Tell Yeeun I said hi!”

 

 

He doesn’t know how it happens, what possesses him to do such a crazy thing, but when Kyungsoo leaves the campus and looks at the practically deserted, dark road ahead of him, he’s pretty sure he can hear all the crazy supernatural monsters hiding in the shadows and just like that, he’s dialling a certain vampire’s number. 

Jongin doesn’t pick up for so long Kyungsoo considers hanging up again, but then he does, and Kyungsoo wishes he wouldn’t have called him in the first place. 

“ _What’s wrong? Where are you?”_ Is the first thing Jongin says after picking up. It’s a little saddening, that those are the first words coming from him after not seeing him for so many days. 

“Nothing’s wrong.” Kyungsoo mumbles, kicking at a pebble on the ground and sending it flying across the street. “I just left the library. Can you… Can you come pick me up?” His cheeks are burning by now. He’s finally hit rock bottom in his life. 

Jongin doesn’t answer and Kyungsoo wants to smash his phone on the ground, stupid thing, why did it allow him to call the stupid vampire in the first place— 

“Hey.” 

Kyungsoo shrieks and drops his phone at the sudden voice against his neck, turning around to find Jongin standing there, lowering his phone from his ear. “Can you— not do that. Fuck.” 

Jongin looks pleased with himself, smirking as he leans down to pick up Kyungsoo’s phone before handing it to him. “Looking good.”

“What’s with that look?” Kyungsoo frowns when he sees the amused smile on Jongin’s face.

“Nothing.” Jongin shrugs, eyes trailing over Kyungsoo’s form. “You look like a bag of smarties was your inspiration.” 

Kyungsoo gapes at him, trying to convince himself that the words don’t hurt. He’s wearing striped pants that maybe look like pyjama bottoms and his sweater has bumblebees all over it, what’s wrong with that?

“Sorry I’m not meeting your standards.” Kyungsoo mutters, pocketing his phone after checking if the screen’s still in one piece. He finally takes a good look at Jongin, finding that the vampire doesn’t look much different from the last time he saw him. Minus the tortured expression, of course. “You look sleepy. Did I wake you?”

Jongin shakes his head, falling into step beside Kyungsoo once he starts walking. “I was studying.” 

“You’re a student?”

“What else would I be?” 

True. Kyungsoo purses his lips. “Huh.”

Jongin gives him a odd look, laughing. “Why do you sound so surprised?” 

“I don’t know.” Kyungsoo shrugs, looking down at their feet. “Most vampires I know don’t bother with education. You know, since—“ Kyungsoo doesn’t finish his sentence, trying to activate his brain to mouth filter for once. 

“You can say it.” Jongin shrugs. “You mean since everything gets handed to us anyway?”  


Kyungsoo nods his head. “So what do you do?” 

“I’m in medical school. Vampires make great surgeons, you know, heightened eyesight and reflexes and all.” 

“Oh.” Kyungsoo nods again. “Makes sense.” 

“What about you?” 

“Computer science.”

“… Cool.” 

Kyungsoo gives him an unimpressed look, failing to hide his smile when Jongin snickers at him. The atmosphere is very different compared to the last time they were together. 

A group of people round the corner in front of them and Kyungsoo feels Jongin tense beside him and doesn’t even question it when the vampire takes his hand, pulling Kyungsoo into his side. The girl at the front of the group gives them a curious look when she passes them. 

“Jongin.” She says with a smile. 

Jongin curtly nods his head, quietly pulling Kyungsoo along as the rest of the group walk past them. Some of them flare their nostrils, eyes flashing as they land on Kyungsoo. Jongin sends them a glare, pulling Kyungsoo closer against him.

“Is it really that weird for an unmarked human to walk around with a vampire?” Kyungsoo asks quietly once the group is gone, his hand slipping out of Jongin’s hold. 

“Not to sound like an arrogant asshole, but it is if the vampire’s part of _our_ clan.” Jongin answers, his eyes alert as he observes their surroundings attentively. “We don’t usually… surround ourselves with people who aren’t part of our clan apart from school or work.” 

“Am I getting you in trouble?” Kyungsoo asks further. “Like, is there some kind of rule for you that you have to mark the human you’re… hanging out with?” 

“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry about that. ” Jongin mutters and something about his tone tells Kyungsoo that he’s not being entirely truthful. 

Kyungsoo gnaws on his lower lip, feeling slightly uneasy with how tense Jongin suddenly is again next to him. “You said your powers leave when you don’t drink for a while. But you were still able to teleport tonight?”

“Short distances work fine.” Jongin explains, turning to face Kyungsoo. His eyes are so intensely dark and focused on him that Kyungsoo hastily looks away and pretends to be admiring their surroundings which consists of dirty buildings and dark alleys. “I don’t do places that are far away when I’m weak. I’ll end up somewhere I didn’t mean to and won’t have enough power left to teleport back.” 

“So it’s happened before?” 

“… Possibly.” Jongin shrugs, sounding like a child owning up to something bad they did. Kyungsoo looks at him and chuckles. 

“Can you teleport other people too?” 

“I can.” Jongin looks at him warily. “Why?” 

“Oh… Just asking.” 

“You want me to teleport you.”

“Fuck yes!” Kyungsoo brightens up instantly, doesn’t even try to contain his excitement at this point. “I mean— I get it if you’re too weak but that just… it would be cool.” He trails off after realizing how Jongin is staring at him. He should know better than expect Jongin to do favors for him when Kyungsoo denies him the one thing he needs the most. 

“Some humans pass out from it.” Jongin licks his lips and Kyungsoo catches a glimpse of his teeth, his canines still slightly longer than a human’s despite them not being extended right now. It makes Kyungsoo shudder in a strange why; he wonders if they’re still dangerous like this. If they would cut into his skin if he’d reach out and touch them— “But I can take you somewhere if you want.” 

“Seriously? You’d do that?”

“Yeah, sure.” 

“My body is ready! Take me.” 

Jongin looks a little flustered for some reason. “You need to hold on to me. Or just hold my hand.” 

Kyungsoo nods, clearing his throat nervously before he steps closer and carefully fiddles with Jongin’s fingers before sliding his palm into the vampire’s larger one. Kyungsoo’s hands are clammy and cold and Jongin’s skin is warm and smooth in contrast. 

“Ready?” Jongin asks, squeezing his hand reassuringly after probably picking up on Kyungsoo’s racing heart. Kyungsoo instinctively steps closer to the vampire, his other free hand coming up to curl into the fabric of Jongin’s sweater tightly. 

“Y-Yeah.” 

Jongin smirks, almost a little devilishly and then all the air gets knocked out of Kyungsoo’s lungs. 

All of it probably happens in less than a second; Kyungsoo squeezes his eyes shut and all he knows is that he feels like throwing up, like when you go down the drop on a rollercoaster, only a thousand times worse. 

He lands heavily on the ground the next moment, his knees buckling under him but Jongin is quick to grab his arms and steady him. Kyungsoo feels so dizzy and he gags a little, not able to tell where left or right is.

“You okay?” Jongin’s voice is close and gentle. “Just breathe.” 

Kyungsoo groans, blinking his eyes open. There are a few dark spots dancing around in his vision before they vanish to reveal Jongin’s familiar face looking at him in concern. “Ugh.” 

Jongin chuckles, squeezing Kyungsoo’s arms. “Are you going to pass out?” 

“No.” Kyungsoo croaks, trying to clear his mind. He tries to take a step and everything starts moving again. “Oh no.” 

“You’re doing well.” Jongin mumbles.

Those words are enough for Kyungsoo to focus on his surroundings again. He starts looking around and sees a lot of trees and for a moment he’s scared that Jongin took him into a secluded forest to eat him alive but then he realizes that they’re near the overlook of the city. 

Jongdae and him come here to get drunk from time to time. 

It’s not that far away from where they were before but it still takes around ten minutes by foot. “That was so cool.” He sighs now that he doesn’t feel like dying anymore. 

Jongin smiles, letting go of his arms to step away from him. “It’s cool the first few times. You get used to it pretty quickly.” 

“You can give your powers to me if you’re bored of them.” Kyungsoo tugs on the straps of his backpack and walks towards the bench where Kyungsoo will usually lie on top of when he’s too drunk to sit up straight. “My life would be much easier, that’s for sure.” 

Jongin hums, walking slowly behind him. They sit down on the bench, the wood cold against the back of Kyungsoo’s thighs who shudders from the cold. It doesn’t seem to have the same effect Jongin, who looks unbothered by the crisp autumn air around them. 

It’s silent between them and for a while, Kyungsoo listens to the distant sounds of traffic from the city below them. He contemplates wether he should address what’s on his mind or not but it’s not like Kyungsoo’s ever been able to hold his tongue.

“You must’ve been busy the last few days.” 

Jongin doesn’t look away from where his eyes are taking in the city lights. “Why are you saying that?” 

“You didn’t show up, that’s all…” 

This time Jongin faces him, his earrings glinting in the light of the lantern a little further away. “Did you want me to?” 

“W-What?” 

“Did you want me to show up?” Jongin repeats himself, eyes unreadable. “Did you need my help?” 

Kyungsoo’s stomach feels like a heavy lump all of a sudden, his heart fluttering nervously. “I mean… No, not really.” 

Jongin’s eyes soften the tiniest bit. “I wasn’t busy. I thought I had scared you off after what happened.” 

Kyungsoo frowns at him in confusion, not understanding what Jongin is talking about for a moment before it hits him. “I wasn’t scared.” 

Jongin seems reluctant to believe him. “You weren’t?” 

“You were hungry and I was bleeding it’s— it’s normal for you to react that way.” Kyungsoo licks his lips, fiddling with his fingers on his lap. “If anything, I felt horrible for doing that to you.” 

His words surprise both of them. Kyungsoo doesn’t know where it’s coming from. Maybe it’s because Jongin is a decent person after all, vampire or not. 

“Can I ask you something?” Jongin asks after a moment of silently staring at Kyungsoo.

“Depends on what you wanna ask.” 

Jongin shifts on the bench to face Kyungsoo instead of the scenery in front of them. “Has a vampire done something to you before?” 

“That’s not why I’m not letting you drink from me.” 

“Okay.” Jongin slowly says. “Are you going to tell me the actual reason?” 

“Is that any of your business?” 

Jongin makes a strange noise, letting his head fall so he’s looking at the ground instead. “My throat feels like it’s made of sandpaper, Kyungsoo. So yeah, maybe I would like to know why the hell I’m suffering as much as I am right now.” 

The snarky response just waiting to leave his mouth dies instantly at Jongin’s words. It’s not like Kyungsoo didn’t already know how painful all of this is for Jongin but hearing him say so himself makes him feel like some sort of criminal. Kyungsoo curls into himself on the cold bench, pulling one leg after the other up as to protect himself behind his knees after pressing them against his chest. 

“I don’t like it when I’m forced to do things.” Kyungsoo mumbles, his voice muffled because his chin is pressed against his knees. He feels utterly stupid and in the wrong. He’s never felt like this before; always standing up for his beliefs and choices but he’s wavering all of a sudden. “I hate that we literally have no say in this and are considered criminals if we don’t follow their rules and why? Just so that all those… people can have even more power and control over us?” 

Jongin is silent for a moment, waiting for Kyungsoo to stop hiding his face behind his knees and look at him instead. “Is that all?” 

Kyungsoo sighs, frowning to himself. “It’s just fucked up, okay? I’m not just even talking about the blood drinking part, which is fucking disgusting but— whatever, that’s not my point. Ninety percent of people that get paired up, they end up marrying each other but like— how do you know if you’re actually in love? How do you know it isn’t just like, _settling_ because it’s easier that way?” 

Jongin doesn’t answer immediately, so Kyungsoo is forced to look up at him, surprised by how understanding Jongin looks. People usually call Kyungsoo out for spewing stuff like that, especially vampires. He kind of imagined Jongin to do the same. “I get it.” 

“You do?” Kyungsoo asks warily. 

“Yeah, of course.” Jongin shrugs, sniffling a little as he hides his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “You want a choice.” 

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo knits his eyebrows together. Jongin’s making it sound so much easier than it feels in Kyungsoo’s mess of a head. “I guess.” 

Jongin gnaws on his lower lip and just like before, something like a shudder runs through Kyungoo’s body when he spots the tips of his canines. They look good in Jongin’s mouth— no, nope. Not going there. “I’m not going to drink your blood.” 

Kyungsoo immediately opens his mouth, several protests about the vampire being suicidal making their way up his throat but Jongin rolls his eyes and tells him to shut up with just a glare. Kyungsoo snaps his mouth shut when the vampires’ eyes flicker crimson in warning. 

“I’m a medical student. I’ll find a way to get blood without going underground.” 

“Even though it’s illegal?” Kyungsoo warily asks, remembering how the vampire told him he didn’t want to go against their contract. 

Jongin shrugs. “I’d hate myself if I somehow forced you to let me drink from you.” He looks at Kyungsoo in a certain way and Kyungsoo feels himself shrink under the gaze, his chest tingling. 

“Okay. Great.” Kyungsoo immediately perks up, slightly bouncing on his seat. “I’m glad that’s out of the way. It was getting tiring to keep acting like a douchebag around you.”

“That was just an act?” Jongin raises his eyebrows in feigned surprise. “Could’ve fooled me.” 

“Oh shut up!” Kyungsoo pushes at Jongin’s shoulder but he might’ve as well tried to push a car because the vampire doesn’t budge one bit, simply chuckling at Kyungsoo’s failed attempts to push him off the bench. 

“Okay, stop that. You’re gonna hurt yourself.” Jongin snorts when he sees Kyungsoo struggle to accept the fact that he’s simply too weak. He’s smiling at Kyungsoo, and if things were different, this might’ve been considered flirting.

Kyungsoo’s brain can’t even begin to process that thought, so he groans and throws his hands in the air in frustration, even kicking his legs a little. Jongin gives him a funny look. “Why are you the crazy version of Grumpy the dwarf?

“Why do you look like one of the bad guys in Grease?”

“What the hell?” Jongin frowns. “Where do I look like that?”

“Your whole face.”

“What’s wrong with it?” 

“It’s ugly.” 

Jongin blinks at him, eyes hard and unforgiving, and suddenly the vampire vanishes into thin air and that’s when Kyungsoo realizes he fucked up. 

“Jongin!” He yells, suddenly very aware of the dark forest right next to him and the strange sounds coming from it. “Come back!” 

Nothing happens.

“You’re handsome, okay?! Please don’t leave me here!” His voice trails off into a whimper when he hears some rustling behind him in the trees.

And just like that, Jongin re-appears next to him, wearing a pleased smirk on his face. “Was that so hard?”   


“I hate you.”

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo wouldn’t go as far as saying that Jongin and him become friends after that night, but they fall into some sort of routine and Kyungsoo tries his best to treat the vampire in a civil manner. 

Jongin will come pick Kyungsoo up from school, most of the time with his car - which Kyungsoo isn’t complaining about because damn, he used to have posters of that exact same Lamborghini all over his bedroom when he was a teenager. But at the same time, he can’t help but feel a little disappointed whenever he sees the vampire leaning against it in front of the campus, drawing a ridiculous amount of attention each time. 

While he nearly passed out from teleporting that first time, it was the coolest and most surreal thing Kyungsoo’s ever experienced in his pathetic life. It felt like he was part of the supernatural world for the first time and maybe he just wants to feel it again. 

But Jongin won’t let him. 

“You’re no fun.” Kyungsoo grumbles one night after yet another torturous study session in the library, buckling up on the passenger seat and reaching out to plug his phone in to play some of his own music. 

“I’m not supposed to be fun.” Jongin snorts. “I’m supposed to protect you. Why do you listen to Frank Sinatra?” 

Kyungsoo narrows his eyes at the vampire instantly. “Do you have a problem with that? Because I will fight you.” 

“Calm down. I’m just asking.” Jongin snorts, pretty used to Kyungsoo’s attitude by now. “My dad loves his stuff, that’s why.” 

“Well then your dad has great taste in music.” Kyungsoo says. “Tell him I said hello!” 

“He doesn’t even know you.” 

“I’m your human and you haven’t told them about me? I’m offended.” 

“When are you not.” Jongin snickers, but there’s something different about his smile. Kyungsoo wonders if it’s something he said but he’s tired, so he closes his eyes to take a nap instead.

When he wakes up again two hours later, it’s in his own bed, a blanket draped over his body with any traces of Jongin having been there long gone. 

Something strange twitches in Kyungsoo’s chest at the thought of the vampire carrying him inside (it’s also not the first time it’s happened but… whatever) and as always, Kyungsoo pushes the feeling far away.

Because ignorance is bliss, after all.

 

 

“How many siblings do you have?” They’re stuck in traffic and Jongin looks extremely tired next to him, one hand loosely gripping the steering wheel, the other steadying his head where he has his elbow perched against the door.

He looks very soft and comfortable in his blue sweater and Kyungsoo briefly thinks the vampire must give amazing hugs. Jongin would probably give him a hug if Kyungsoo asked. Not that he wants that— “Biological?” 

“Oh, uhm—“ Kyungsoo purses his lips. He forgot that vampire families sometimes are different. Since vampires aren’t allowed to have babies because infant vampires don’t have any self control and would practically be killing machines, they end up “adopting” kids which is just a nicer word for giving a human the Bite. It automatically makes them part of your clan, or family, if you will. “I guess?” 

“I have a brother.” Jongin explains. “And then a sister and another brother who aren’t related to me by blood.”

Kyungsoo gnaws on his lower lip for a moment, not really sure if he’s allowed to pry any further. As if that’s ever stopped him before. “Are your parents… you know…” 

“It’s okay, you can ask.” Jongin gives him a reassuring look, the action gentle and laced with sleep. “My parents died many years ago. Car accident.” He explains. “My siblings and I all were able to get the Bite so we ended up in the same family. Or clan, if you will.” 

“Oh. I’m really sorry to hear that, Jongin.” Kyungsoo mumbles, tugging the sleeves of his hoodie over his hands. 

“It’s okay. It happened a long time ago, I barely remember them.” Jongin shrugs. 

“But you’re happy with your family now, right?” Kyungsoo doesn’t know why he asks, or why he cares. Given the strange look Jongin gives him, the vampire must wonder the same thing. 

“I’m happy, yeah.” 

“I’m glad.” 

Jongin stares at him and Kyungsoo turns to look out the window, heart racing in his chest anxiously because why the fuck is he blushing? 

 

 

 

 

“Since when do you have a cat?” Jongin is staring in Kyungsoo’s doorway, his eyes glowing golden as he glares at the cat rubbing itself all over Kyungsoo’s legs. 

Kyungsoo frowns at the vampire, taking in Jongin’s defensive position and proceeds to smirk when he realizes that Jongin is _scared_. 

“This is Luffy.” Kyungsoo explains, leaning down to pick her up. She isn’t happy about it and tries to scratch Kyungsoo because she’s a diva and believes she’s above everyone else despite being a scrawny little kitten. “She’s Jongdae’s. I’m taking care of her since he’s visiting his parents.” 

“I think I’m going to leave.” Jongin is frowning at the cat.

“Aww, but why? Don’t you want to pet her?” Kyungsoo approaches Jongin, holding Luffy out who actually hisses into the vampire’s face. 

This is so amusing. 

Jongin bares his teeth at the cat like she’s an actual source of danger and Kyungsoo throws his head back, laughing loudly. “Stop laughing!”

“I can’t believe you’re scared of cats! Oh my god, this is perfect!”

“Stop! Cats are— I’m not scared, okay? Cats don’t like me.”

“Okay, I’m seriously starting to question wether you aren’t secretly a Werewolf.” 

Jongin makes an annoyed face. “Just keep her away from me.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes but does as he’s told, making sure Luffy leaves Jongin alone for the rest of the night. But it’s just really funny, how Jongin flinches and growls whenever the cat gets too close to him. 

Two hours later, Luffy is sprawled on Kyungsoo’s lap, purring happily while Kyungsoo scratches his fingers through her fur. It’s warm inside, the TV just a soft background noise at this point. 

Kyungsoo leans down and kisses Luffy’s head, plays with the pink and pillowy pads of her paws until she hisses at him to stop. Both Jongin and Kyungsoo laugh at that, and Kyungsoo can’t help but blush a bit when he looks up and their eyes meet, realizing that Jongin’s been watching him for a while now.

“You like animals.”

Kyungsoo snorts, looking at him. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

“Can you blame me? _Loving_ isn’t exactly a word I’d use to describe you.”

Kyungsoo tries not to be hurt by the words; it’s not like he’s given Jongin any reason to believe otherwise. “I don’t know. Animals don’t judge you, no matter who you are. It’s nice.”

Jongin looks like he wants to ask more, where Kyungsoo is coming from with those feelings, but something about the drop in Kyungsoo’s mood must stop the vampire from doing so.

“I think you aren’t that bad, Kyungsoo.” 

Kyungsoo hums and looks up, grinning at Jongin, who smiles back softly. “Of course I’m not. I’m a delight.” 

They laugh again and look away a little awkwardly, and it’s nice like this, and Kyungsoo wishes it could always be like that between them because Jongin is actually not that bad, either.

They stay like that until Kyungsoo falls asleep, Jongin watching him pet Luffy in his lap with a blanket over both their laps and when Kyungsoo wakes up again the next morning, he’s in his bed, Luffy sleeping by his feet.

 

 

 

 

“What does it feel like?” 

Jongin looks up from his textbook, twirling the pen in his hand between his fingers like an expert. He looks a little annoyed because he’s obviously trying to study but Kyungsoo keeps distracting him. “What does what feel like?” 

They’re having a study session together at Kyungsoo’s apartment. Yeah, it’s weird, Kyungsoo would’ve never thought he’d willingly be spending time together with a vampire. Well, it’s not _entirely_ willingly, but no one’s actually forcing them to spend time together like this and Kyungsoo doesn’t really know how to feel about it all. 

“Drinking blood.” Kyungsoo gnaws on his pencil and Jongin winces when the plastic cracks under the pressure of his teeth. “Is it simply like quenching your thirst? You know, drinking some ice cold water after a hot day?” 

Jongin blinks at him and Kyungsoo thinks he should be used to all the staring by now but he really isn’t. When Jongin looks at someone, he looks at them like they’re all he sees, his attention one hundred percent focused on them. At least that’s how he is with Kyungsoo, not that Kyungsoo’s ever seen him interact with another person. 

“Something like that.” Jongin speaks, looking a little uneasy. He shifts where he’s sitting on the ground and Kyungsoo watches his prominent Adam’s apple bob up and down. “It feels… It feels a lot better, though. Like— Like pleasure’s running through your veins?” 

“So… like sex?” Kyungsoo wonders, grinning when he sees the way Jongin blushes and averts his eyes. The guy looks like sex on legs yet he reacts like a damn virgin whenever Kyungsoo makes certain remarks most people would deem inappropriate. 

“I mean, yeah, kind of.” Jongin licks his lips and the grin slowly fades from Kyungsoo’s face, focused on how the wet muscle makes Jongin’s plush bottom lip glisten. “It _is_ designed to make both parties feel good, yeah?” 

“You mean humans feel like that, too?” Kyungsoo furrows his eyebrows in confusion. Given the look Jongin gives him, this must be basic knowledge and Kyungsoo almost regrets never doing his research on the matter. 

“Yeah, of course. Not many of them would willingly hold still if it always hurt like crap for them.” Jongin explains. “Most couples do it during… well, you know. During sex.” 

“Let’s say a couple has amazing sex as it is, and the vampire drinks from the human while they’re at it, could they potentially just die because the orgasm is literally _that_ mind-blowing?” 

“What the fuck?” Jongin frowns at him. “How do you come up with stupid questions like that?” 

“Hey, it’s not a stupid question. I’m just curious.” 

“Well, you should’ve paid attention at school. I’m not your fucking guide on how vampires work.” Jongin grumbles, focusing his eyes back on his notes. 

“Geez. Chill.” Kyungsoo mutters, pouting a little as he tries to concentrate on his own summaries scattered out messily in front of him. 

He manages to stay silent for about a minute before he’s already opening his mouth again to talk to the vampire instead.

“No, shut up!” Jongin hisses when he notices Kyungsoo opening his mouth. “Can you seriously not stay silent for a single minute?” He asks, angrily ruffling a hand through his hair. “I have an assignment I need to get done by the end of the week but you keep asking dumb shit like a four year old!” 

It’s silent for a few tense seconds after Jongin’s outburst, both of them staring at each other with wide eyes.

“I’m not really good at staying still.” Kyungsoo answers, lowering his head so Jongin doesn’t see the embarrassed flush on his face.

“Yeah, figures.” Jongin snorts, shaking his head in annoyance as he moves to look down at his notes again.

Kyungsoo’s shoulders sag and he grips his pen a little tighter, glaring down at his study material and willing himself to actually start studying. It’s not like Jongin’s words hurt him, it’s nothing he hasn’t heard before but sometimes he forgets that he actually has a problem until someone points it out.

His family and close friends are used to it so they never bring it up but now that Jongin said that, he realizes that he hasn’t done anything remotely productive in the past thirty minutes. His notebook’s full of random doodles instead of notes about Python data structures.  


“Hey…” Jongin speaks up after a while. Kyungsoo reluctantly looks up at him, surprised to find the vampire looking at him with concern swimming in his dark eyes. “Did I, like, hurt you or something?” 

“What? No. Why’re you asking?” 

“I don’t know.” Jongin shrugs. “You just got really silent, so I thought I might have.” 

Kyungsoo tilts his head. “Didn’t you want me to shut up?” 

“Yeah but— Ugh, dude, I obviously upset you. You look like I kicked your puppy or something. Stop looking at me like that.”

Kyungsoo looks at him for a few silent moments. He’s kind of reluctant to say what he’s about to say next. He knows he shouldn’t really care what the vampire thinks of him but at the same time he realizes that a part of him doesn’t want Jongin to think of him in a bad way. At least not anymore. “I have ADHD.” 

Jongin blinks at him, his lips parting. The silence that follows Kyungsoo’s statement is so awkward and uncomfortable Kyungsoo immediately regrets opening his mouth at all.

“I didn’t know that.” Jongin eventually says.

“Yeah.” 

“I’m sorry.” Jongin mutters. “I feel like a dick now.” 

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, lightly kicking the vampire’s foot under the table. “I’m not hurt, okay? You couldn’t have known. It’s okay.” 

Jongin pouts and once again, Kyungsoo’s heart does something really weird in his chest. 

Maybe he should go get it checked out. 

His phone lights up on the table, so Kyungsoo picks it up to check the notification. 

 

 

**From: JohnnyDae**

> Yeeun wants to meet your vampire bf 

> You should bring him tomorrow night 

 

 

“My friend wants you to go out with us.” Kyungsoo says after putting his phone away. “We’re going to this club tomorrow.” 

Jongin gives him an unnerving, blank look. “Why does he want me to go?” 

Kyungsoo shrugs. “It’s his mate. Apparently she wants to meet you.”

“Oh.” Jongin tongues the inside of his cheek and Kyungsoo quickly flickers his eyes to the ceiling, trying not to choke at how obscene that gesture just looked. Maybe he’s just too dirty minded to live on this planet. “Do you want me to come?” 

“Yeah, why not.” Kyungsoo shrugs, forcing himself to smile at Jongin.

Jongin falls silent, eyes flickering over Kyungsoo’s face before he gives him a faint nod. “Okay.” 

 

 

 

 

If someone were to ask Kyungsoo to tell them about one special talent of his, he’d proudly say that it’s how well he can hold his liquor. 

But you see, he would be lying, because he can’t.

He really, really can’t. 

It usually goes something like this: He’ll be downing drink after drink and everything will be totally fine. At first. 

He’ll feel the buzz of the alcohol in his veins, his limbs will feel lose and he’ll be _happy,_ okay, and everyone will tell him “No, Kyungsoo, you’ve had enough” and Kyungsoo will say “No, I’m not even drunk!” and he’ll order another shot and it will feel like a great idea. 

And then all the alcohol he’s consumed will hit him like a truck and he’ll basically just topple over and black out on the dance floor. 

(That definitely hasn’t ever happened before. Nope.) 

So he should’ve learned from his mistakes by now, but he’s an idiot, so he never really learns. 

The club is packed. People want to get drunk, they want to dance and they want to get laid and they want to forget all about their miserable lives. 

Kyungsoo is sitting in a booth together with Jongdae and Yeeun who are kind of all over each other and Kyungsoo is just watching them like a creep.

He’s sipping on his third drink when Jongin texts him that he’ll be there in half an hour and Kyungsoo sighs to himself, getting bored with just sitting there and waiting for his vampire to arrive. 

He’s eyeing the crowd on the dance floor when he spots a familiar face there, both of them locking eyes at the same time. Baekhyun’s face lights up and he waves Kyungsoo over who happily slides out of the booth. Jongdae is making out with Yeeun anyway so he’ll be in good hands. 

“Soo! Looking good, man.” Baekhyun pulls him into a sloppy hug, reeking of a sickeningly sweet vodka and cranberry mixture. “Is that eyeliner you’re wearing?”  


“Yeah, I learned from the best.” He winks at the other, Baekhyun laughing happily and pulling him into the crowd to dance. Baekhyun and him have a few classes together and usually only hang out on weekends at parties or when they’re out bar-hopping. 

“I’ve been hearing stuff about you and your vampire, Soo.” Baekhyun shouts into his ear, an arm wrapped around Kyungsoo’s neck and the other pressed against Kyungsoo’s ribs. “You also don’t have the mark. It’s been like, three months, since the selection. What’s going on?”  


“It’s not a big deal.” Kyungsoo groans. “I’m just not into that whole blood-drinking thing and I don’t want to be his mate. Is that so wrong?” 

“No but—“ Baekhyun pulls away to look at him. The highlighter he’s wearing on his cheeks glows golden in the club lights. Kyungsoo’s eyes flicker down to the prominent mark on his friend’s neck, like a warning, like a signature. Like he’s some sort of property. “He’s fucking hot. I’d be all over him if I was you.” 

“What, is Chanyeol not enough for you anymore?” Kyungsoo snorts, briefly wondering where the vampire is since he’s usually following Baekhyun around like a shadow. 

Baekhyun grins. “Yeollie’s the only one for me. I’m just saying the Kim’s are playing in another league and you’ve got the finest piece of ass right in front of you yet you don’t want it. It’s a waste of good ass. You know how I feel about that.” 

Kyungsoo sighs. “Don’t really wanna talk about him tonight.”

“Sure, okay.” Baekhyung understands immediately, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo’s waist to pull him in. “I’ll distract you.” 

 

 

Jongin arrives shortly after but he’s not alone. There are two guys trailing after him, looking incredibly bored and like they’re way too good for this place as they eye their surroundings. 

They’re all tall, broad shoulders and sharp eyes, dark eyebrows, like some sort of greek gods. 

It’s seriously ridiculous, how the people inside the club stare at them and whisper as they make their way through the crowd, like they’re part of the royal family or something just as laughable. 

“What an entrance.” Baekhyun snickers, eyeing the three up and down appreciatively. 

Kyungsoo laughs and pats his back, pointing at Chanyeol who’s approaching them now. “I better go say hi.” Chanyeol gives him a smile before pulling Baekhyun into his arms who’s all too happy to let himself be wrapped in his mate’s hug. 

Jongin spots him first, some kind of emotion flickering over his face as his eyes trail over Kyungsoo’s body. It must be a little surprising to see Kyungsoo in an outfit that doesn’t look like his closet threw up all over him.

“Hey.” Kyungsoo gives him a smile and he tries not to stare like everyone else. Jongin looks incredible, he always does, so Kyungsoo is pretty good at hiding his reactions by now.

Jongin simply nods at him but his eyes are a little dark and Kyungsoo doesn’t know why that makes his stomach flip. They stand there staring at each other, not really knowing what to say or do until someone clears their throat behind Jongin’s back. 

“You brought friends.” Kyungsoo says, waving at the two guys but only one of them greets back. The other one glares at Kyungsoo.

Yup, he looks like he wants Kyungsoo dead. 

Okay then.

“Sehun.” Jongin points at the guy who’s currently looking at Kyungsoo like he’s some kind of human trash. “That’s Mingyu.” The other one gives Kyungsoo a friendly smile. 

“We’re actually his brothers.” Mingyu says, giving Kyungsoo a toothy smile. This must be Jongin’s biological brother; they have the same eyes and skin shade.

“Oh! It’s nice to meet you! I’m Kyungsoo.”

“We know who you are.” Sehun mutters, scowling at him. 

“Uhm.” Kyungsoo shifts nervously, moving closer to Jongin and lamely gripping his sleeve. Jongin gives him a curious look before facing his brother. 

“Knock it off, Sehun.” Jongin warns his brother who only rolls his eyes in return before grabbing Mingyu’s arm and dragging the clueless looking boy towards the bar. 

Kyungsoo watches them leave with a bad feeling in his stomach. “Why do I feel like he doesn’t like me very much?” 

Jongin looks down at him over his shoulders, shaking his head. “Don’t worry about him.” 

Kyungsoo flickers his eyes up to meet Jongin’s, feeling a little better at the reassurance he finds there. He smiles, reaching out to grip Jongin’s wrist to pull him through the crowd and towards the booth where he left Jongdae with Yeeun. 

They sit down on the other side of the couple and Kyungsoo is happy to see that Jongin immediately hits it off with his best friend. Jongdae and him go and grab some drinks for themselves, leaving the vampires to chat with each other since they can’t drink alcohol. 

Well, they could, but it would be a waste of money since their system neutralises the Ethanol anyway. 

“He’s amazing, Soo!” Jongdae exclaims excitedly while they wait for their drinks at the bar. “He’s smart, he’s into anime, he loves puppies, he’s putting up with all your shit? He must be an angel.” 

“Stop being so dramatic.” Kyungsoo snickers. “But he’s alright, yeah.”

“He’s too good for you.” 

Kyungsoo pouts. “Wow, thanks. What kind of best friend are you?” 

“One that only tells you the truth.” Jongdae grins and leans in to press a kiss against Kyungsoo’s temple who shoves him away, grumbling and butthurt. “But Soo, didn’t you tell me he’s getting like, blood-bags from the hospital or something?” 

Kyungsoo hums, fiddling with the money in his fingers. “Yeah, he is. Why’re you asking?” 

“He doesn’t look like… you know, like he’s been drinking.” Jongdae’s voice has turned serious all of a sudden. “Like, I don’t wanna freak you out, but he looks like he hasn’t had any blood in a while to be honest. Yeeun told me he looked hungry when you were dragging him to our booth.” 

Kyungsoo suddenly freezes a little, his brain nervously searching for any signs he might’ve missed in the past few weeks. Jongin always looked good when they were together. He looked healthy. “Well, she was wrong. Jongin told me himself that he’s been drinking blood.” 

Jongdae stares at him for a moment. “Soo…” 

“Stop it.” Kyungsoo laughs awkwardly. He hands over the money when the bartender slides their shots over the counter. “Maybe he just didn’t drink anything today. It’s— It’s not my fault, okay? He’s not a kid anymore, he can take care of himself.” 

“ _You’re_ supposed to be taking care of him.” Jongdae suddenly says, making Kyungsoo flinch. 

Kyungsoo grits his teeth together, trying to ignore the wave of guilt washing over him. He grabs his shot and downs it and then, just because he’s suddenly pissed off, takes Jongdae’s too to chug that as well. It burns his throat and sets his chest on fire but it’s better than feeling so damn guilty again. “But I never wanted this. It’s not fair.” 

“Kyungsoo—“ Jongdae tries but Kyungsoo’s already walking away from the bar. 

He knows he’s in the wrong.

He knows Jongdae’s right. 

Kyungsoo walks back to their booth, the guilt only multiplying when Jongin’s head snaps up even before Kyungsoo has reached them. They look at each other and Jongin’s eyes wander over his form and Kyungsoo realizes that the vampire always does that.

Not to check him out but to make sure he’s unscathed. 

_You’re supposed to be taking care of him._

And now that Kyungsoo is properly looking at Jongin, he can tell, too. Jongin looks so weak it makes Kyungsoo’s heart ache. 

“Where’s Jongdae?” Yeeun asks, her tone accusing because she knows more than anyone how much Jongin must be suffering right now. 

“At the bar.” Kyungsoo answers without looking away from Jongin. 

Jongin really is too good for him, isn’t he? He’s looking at Kyungsoo almost innocently, worry taking over his features the longer Kyungsoo stares at him.

“Are you okay?” Jongin asks, eyes glimmering golden in the dim lights of the club. 

“Y-Yeah.” Kyungsoo nods his head. “I’m going to go dance.” 

Jongin presses his lips together tightly, eyes searching Kyungsoo’s own for some kind of explanation for the strange way Kyungsoo is acting. “Okay.” Jongin says before turning away from him. 

 

 

When he’s back on the dance floor, between all those drunk and sweaty people, he finally starts to feel the alcohol. 

Kyungsoo - once again - drank way too much. 

“You okay?” A voice asks behind him, a hot chest pressing up against his back. Everything’s fuzzy and the music is thrumming through his body. 

“Sure.” Kyungsoo replies, letting the guy grip his hips. A girl is in front of him and she turns to look at him, giving him a pretty smile and winking before she turns to dance with her friend again. She grips Kyungsoo’s wrist, trying to pull him closer and Kyungsoo would be all too willing but the new addition behind him stops him from doing so.

“Why’re you not marked, pretty boy?” The guys asks, mouth pressed against Kyungsoo’s ear. He’s too close but Kyungsoo doesn’t think he has the strength to push him away so he lets it be. 

“None of your business.” Kyungsoo closes his eyes, his knees feeling a little weak. He’s reaching that state of intoxication where his own body is getting too heavy and he needs to either lay down or lean on someone for support. 

“It’s dangerous to walk around like this.” The guy whispers, pressing up against Kyungsoo more insistently. 

“Just shut up, man. I’m here to dance, not to chit-chat with you.” Kyungsoo groans, too drunk to deal with the man. 

“You’re a feisty human, aren’t you?” The man seems to be annoyed with Kyungsoo’s attitude, his hold on Kyungsoo’s hips tightening. His words give away that he’s not entirely human. “I can mark you up if you want.” Vampire. Of course.

“Fuck off.” Kyungsoo snaps, pushing the man away. He doesn’t like that, because he’s back immediately, wrapping an arm around Kyungsoo’s waist this time. It’s not like Kyungsoo is helpless or weak, but this is a vampire; Kyungsoo wouldn’t be able to fight the guy even if he was sober. “Let go. I’m not interested.”

“Should’ve thought of that before you started grinding up on me.”  


Kyungsoo manages to pry the guy’s arms away from his waist, turning around to face him. Everything spins and Kyungsoo briefly fears he’s going to throw up all over the guy which— maybe wouldn’t even be that bad after all. He’s an asshole. 

The guys suddenly smirks. “You won’t get anyone better than me. The offer’s still there.” 

Kyungsoo’s balling his fist before he even realizes what he’s doing but someone’s suddenly gripping his wrist, stopping him from trying to break the douchebag’s nose.

“Stop it.” The voice is so close to Kyungsoo’s ear it sends a shiver down his spine, but it also makes Kyungsoo relax immediately, uncurling his fingers like he’s a damn puppet tied to the strings belonging to that voice. Jongin steps up next to him, his face stoic and eyes hard as he stares at the man who’s now glaring back. 

“I had him first.” The man snaps. It must be a vampire thing, some sort of exchange happening between them because both their eyes start flickering crimson. The air grows impossibly tense, even some of the people around them picking up on it, moving away as if they’re expecting a fight.

“I don’t think so.” Jongin’s arm slings around Kyungsoo’s waist and Kyungsoo slurs a protest until Jongin squeezes his side, silently asking him to play along, so Kyungsoo lets it go and leans into his vampire, letting himself be comforted by his warmth and scent.

“What kind of vampire are you, letting your human walk around unmarked? He smells _delicious._ What is it? Your fangs are too short?” 

Jongin growls. He _growls_ , Kyungsoo feels the vibrations and then Jongin’s parting his lips, and Kyungsoo gets to see his fangs extended for the first time. They’re a lot longer than he expected them to be, pearly and dangerous. Kyungsoo shudders at the sight, warmth pooling in his stomach, which is so, so wrong but he really can’t help it. “Wanna say that again?” 

Kyungsoo feels like Jongin wants to kill the guy. He hopes he won’t. Who the hell would clean up all that blood on the dance floor? People don’t want to dance in a pool of blood— 

While Kyungsoo is picturing the bloodbath he doesn’t realize how the guy finally accepts his defeat and turns around to disappear between the crowd, not until Jongin grips Kyungsoo’s arm and turns him so they’re facing each other. 

“Did he do something to you?” Jongin asks, trying to get Kyungsoo to focus on him. 

“I could’ve handled it.” Kyungsoo tries to shake him off. “Didn’t need you to protect me.” 

Jongin watches him silently. He looks so good with all those red lights flickering over his face, his plump lips, his stupid piercings, his stupid hair. _Stupid stupid stupid_. “You’re drunk. We should leave.”

“But I didn’t get to dance.” Kyungsoo huffs like a bratty child, pushing at Jongin’s chest and nearly tripping over his feet if Jongin didn’t reach out to grab his arms again. “I wanna dance.” 

“Do you want me to get Jongdae?” 

“No.” Kyungsoo looks at the vampire and doesn’t understand why he feels so guilty. Why is Kyungsoo feeling guilty? Did he do something bad? He can’t remember. “I want _you_.” 

Jongin looks taken aback and infinitely confused. “Me?” 

“Do you not want to dance with me?”   
  
Jongin resists a little when Kyungsoo grips his wrists and pulls him closer. “You’re really drunk, Kyungsoo.” Is all he says, eyes dark as they watch Kyungsoo step up into his personal space. His eyes are so dark, Kyungsoo doesn’t know if it’s because he’s so drunk, but he feels like he could get lost in them.

“I’ll behave. I promise.” Kyungsoo mumbles, slinging his arms around Jongin’s neck. The vampire stiffens against him and it takes him a few seconds to finally move. He rests his hands on Kyungsoo’s sides, very gently, just to make sure Kyungsoo doesn’t fall over. Kyungsoo thinks this shouldn’t annoy him as much as it does. He shouldn’t want another vampire to touch him at all, let alone Jongin.

They’re not even dancing. They’re just swaying a little but to Kyungsoo it feels like he’s on a freaking merry-go-round, having to close his eyes from time to time so he doesn’t actually throw up all over Jongin’s expensive looking shirt. 

“I’m sorry, Jongin.” Kyungsoo suddenly mumbles. He’s resting his head on the vampire’s shoulder by now, too tired to hold it up on his own. 

Jongin hesitatingly places his hands on Kyungsoo’s back instead, pulling him closer against his chest protectively. “What are you sorry for?” 

“I’m sorry you have to put up with me.” Kyungsoo squeezes his eyes shut, fingers gripping the back of Jongin’s collar. “You don’t deserve to be treated like this. You should— you should request someone else. I promise I won’t even get mad.” 

Jongin stays silent for a long time, but he relaxes against Kyungsoo, and he finally holds Kyungsoo properly, his arms snug around his waist. It’s nice. It’s _really_ nice. Jongin is warm and his scent is all around him; like the forest and mint and dark chocolate. Calming and safe. “I’m not complaining, Kyungsoo.”

“You should.” 

“Maybe I don’t want anyone else.” 

Kyungsoo’s heart does a strange little thump and he presses closer into Jongin’s body, not knowing how to deal with his feelings. Jongin probably didn’t mean the words to come out like that, but Kyungsoo is drunk, and everything kind of feels like _more._ He turns his face against Jongin’s neck, inhaling his scent. “You smell so good. Why do you smell so good?” 

“Cologne.” Jongin answers. “Gucci.” 

“Jesus. That is more expensive than my entire wardrobe.” Kyungsoo groans. “See? You deserve someone else. You wear Gucci yet you’re holding human trash in your arms.” 

“You’re not trash. Stop it.” Jongin chuckles. Kyungsoo feels him turn his face a little, his nose brushing against Kyungsoo’s hair and he hears him inhale. It makes him shudder when Jongin holds him tighter after taking in his scent.

And Kyungsoo finally remembers why he’s feeling so guilty. “Hey why are you lying to me? Why aren’t you drinking blood?” His mouth is pressing against Jongin’s pulse and something in him starts to tingle. It makes him feel heady, even dizzier than he already is and he has this sudden urge to be even closer to the vampire.

Jongin stiffens against him yet his arms remain around Kyungsoo, gentle and protective and Kyungsoo tries to remember why on earth he’s been treating the vampire like shit ever since they met. “Let’s get you home, yeah?” 

Kyungsoo hums, eyes closed as he nuzzles his nose against Jongin’s shoulder. Jongin allows it for another moment before he moves out of the embrace, turning Kyungsoo around to steer him out of the crowd. His hands are barely touching Kyungsoo’s waist as he guides him and makes sure Kyungsoo doesn’t trip, but his chest is touching Kyungsoo’s back, and no matter how drunk and stupid Kyungsoo is, he honestly feels so safe with Jongin close to him it’s ridiculous. 

Like he just _knows_ Jongin wouldn’t let anything happen to him. 

He faintly hears Jongin talking to people and he’s pretty sure he sees Mingyu’s face at some point. 

“Can you text me when you’ve dropped him off?” He hears Jongdae ask, his best friend patting Kyungsoo’s cheeks and asking if he’s okay. Kyungsoo smiles at him like he has no idea what’s going on and Jongdae chuckles. 

The cold air outside makes his teeth chatter and he whines and complains all the way to what has to be Jongin’s car. The vampire is completely quiet as he manoeuvres Kyungsoo into the passenger seat, buckling him up securely. 

Kyungsoo goes out like a light as soon as Jongin turns on the engine. 

 

 

“Kyungsoo.” There’s a hand cradling his cheek and Kyungsoo pulls a pained face when sudden cold air hits his heated skin. It was so toasty inside the car. “Hey, come on. You need to get up.” 

“Don’t wanna.” Kyungsoo mumbles. “‘m sleepy.” 

“You can sleep more in your bed.” Jongin quietly says. The vampire waits for Kyungsoo to move but when that doesn’t happen, he lets out a tired sigh. “Are you seriously going to make me carry you?” 

Kyungsoo smiles, eyes still closed and spreads his arms, making grabby hands. He hears the vampire groan and shuffle around and slowly blinks his eyes open, seeing Jongin leaning down with his back facing the car. 

“Hop on.” The vampire grumbles. It takes a moment for Kyungsoo to move and it’s a bit of a struggle because he’s all ungraceful and uncoordinated limbs at this point, but he somehow manages to climb on Jongin’s back, wrapping his arms around the vampire’s neck. 

“This is fun! Giddyup!” He pats Jongin’s side like he’s riding a damn horse but stops when everything starts spinning again. Kyungsoo deflates and leans his head on Jongin’s shoulder instead, chin hooked over it comfortably. “Am I heavy?”

“No.” Jongin kicks the car door shut and starts walking, hands wrapping around the back of Kyungsoo’s thighs. 

“You can say it. I know I am.” Kyungsoo sighs.

“You’re not heavy. You’re fine.” Jongin stops walking, hiking Kyungsoo up higher on his back when he threatens to fall off. There’s zero effort from Kyungsoo to stay on the vampire’s back; he’s practically deadweight. “Where are your keys?” 

“In my pockets.”

“Well, can you get them out?” 

Kyungsoo tries, he really does, but once he manages to stick his hand into the pocket of his jeans, the keys slip from his fingers and fall on the floor. “Oops.” 

Jongin grunts and leans down to pick them back up. “You’re so helpless.” 

Kyungsoo complains but doesn’t find enough strength to stand up for himself, instead nearly passing out again on Jongin’s back. When he blinks his eyes open again, he’s in his own room and then Jongin is practically throwing him on his bed and Kyungsoo groans in misery. “I’m dying.”

Jongin scoffs, looking very unamused as he starts to take off Kyungsoo’s shoes. He moves to take off Kyungsoo’s pants, fingers fumbling with the zipper. 

Kyungsoo shakes his head, awkwardly trying to swat the hands away. “Hey. I don’t put out on the first date.” He looks up at the vampire who’s staring at him like he’s done with life. “I’m a classy lady.” He grins at the vampire who gives him a deadpan look in return. 

He just shakes his head and quickly pulls Kyungsoo’s jeans off. He’s trying not to smile and Kyungsoo feels satisfied. He’ll take anything at this point. 

Jongin leaves and comes back with a glass of water. “Drink this.” 

“No.” 

“It’ll make your hangover less painful.” 

“How would you know? You can’t even get drunk.” Kyungsoo is suddenly hauled into a sitting position, the whole room spinning and his brain hammering inside his head. 

“I have better things to do than babysitting you. _Drink this_.” Jongin presses the cup of water in Kyungsoo’s hand before moving to get up from the bed. 

Panic flares in Kyungsoo’s chest and he reaches out to grip Jongin’s shirt with his free hand. “No! ‘m sorry.” He quickly chugs the water no matter how much his stomach is protesting. 

Jongin eyes him carefully, taking the empty cup from Kyungsoo to put it on the nightstand. “Will you be okay?”

Kyungsoo blinks at him and shuffles closer as best as he can while he’s being restricted by the blankets Jongin has draped over him before. “You never answered me. Why aren’t you drinking blood? You said you would.” 

Jongin licks his lips, Kyungsoo’s eyes automatically following the movement. “I _am_ drinking.”

“You’re lying.” Kyungsoo reaches out and trails his index finger over the skin underneath one of Jongin’s eyes. “These give you away. You look weak.”

Jongin immediately reaches up to grip his wrist and move his hand away. Kyungsoo can’t fight the flash of hurt that shoots through his chest. He pushes Kyungsoo to lie down again. “Don’t worry about it. Go to sleep—“

Kyungsoo frees his hand and curls it into Jongin’s shirt, pulling him down so quickly the vampire has to shoot out a hand to steady himself on the mattress before he knocks their heads together. “Don’t you wanna drink my blood?” 

Jongin sucks in a breath, his arm trembling. “Don’t ask me things like that.” 

“So you want to?” 

“What do you _think_ , Kyungsoo?” Jongin snaps and Kyungsoo flinches when his eyes flash, golden pools of color swimming through his irises. 

“I’m sorry.” Kyungsoo cups the vampire’s cheeks, pouting. “I don’t want to make you mad. I can’t help it. I keep screwing up. I’m sorry, Jongin.” 

Jongin glares at him for a moment longer before relaxing a little. He’s still tense and his eyes are still burning and his scent is all around Kyungsoo again. “I’m not mad at you.” 

They stare at each other, Jongin dark and looming over him, the tips of his bangs almost touching Kyungsoo’s forehead. 

“You’re so pretty.” Kyungsoo suddenly blurts, moving his hand to fondle one of the earrings in Jongin’s earlobe. “These are really pretty, too.” 

Jongin doesn’t say anything. His eyes are alert, quietly watching whatever Kyungsoo is doing. He looks like a caged in animal, ready to bolt if Kyungsoo should make a wrong move. 

“I’m scared.” Kyungsoo mumbles.

Jongin swallows heavily, tongue darting out to wet his lips. “Of me?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head no. “I don’t want my heart to get broken again.”

It’s silent between them for a moment before Jongin speaks. “Who broke your heart?” He asks, voice a little hard but everything about him is warm and safe and it would be so _easy_. But it wouldn’t make sense; Jongin settling for someone like Kyungsoo? No way.

“A lot of people.” Kyungsoo says, trying not to think of his countless ex boyfriends that left him tired and wary of relationships. 

Jongin sighs, shifts above him and Kyungsoo sucks in a breath, everything’s warm and heavy and he can feel the vampire’s warm exhales on his lips. “I wouldn’t break your heart, Kyungsoo.” It’s so quiet Kyungsoo thinks he just imagines in but it sends tingles through his body all the same.

Kyungsoo slowly thumbs at the pulse in Jongin’s neck, pressing down on it and it feels like Jongin’s warm, dark scent gets heavier in the air around them, like he triggered a scent gland. It makes Kyungsoo’s limbs feel heavy and pleasantly numb.

Jongin jerks away from the touch, trembling when Kyungsoo presses down even more where his pulse is. A strange sound leaves his lips but Kyungsoo doesn’t let him move, a little mesmerised by what’s happening even though he has no idea what _is_ happening right now. 

Kyungsoo suddenly stops his ministrations, eyebrows drawing together in confusion. “Hey, your eyes, they’re—“

The vampire pulls away so fast that he’s standing on the other side of the room in an instant, his chest heaving and his eyes— 

They’re not golden like they usually are. Like they’re supposed to be.

They’re red.

Kyungsoo only catches a short glimpse of the panicked expression on Jongin’s face as Kyungsoo scrambles to get out of the bed. His feet get tangled in the blanket and he falls face first from the bed, yelping when his nose gets crushed on the floor from the impact. 

When he finally manages to sit up with tears of pain welling in his eyes, Jongin is already gone and Kyungsoo is left sitting on the floor with a hand covering his bloody nose, wondering what on earth just happened. 

 

 

 

 

Jongin doesn’t show up in the following days. 

Kyungsoo can’t quite remember what happened that night. He woke up with a pounding headache and a sick feeling in his stomach. It’s only because Jongdae told him that Jongin took him home from the club that he has some idea what might’ve went down.

He’s left thinking that maybe he did something to piss the vampire off. Kyungsoo tends to spew some stupid stuff when he’s drunk. Yes, even more than when he’s sober. 

Three days after complete radio silence from Jongin, Kyungsoo swallows down his pride and decides to text him. 

 

 

**To: my vamp** ⚰️

hey i don’t know what happend after the club <  
lol had the worst hangoverr <  
im sorry ifi did smth stupid like just ignroe me i was drunk <

 

 

It takes Jongin an entire day to send him a reply. Kyungsoo is about to fall asleep when his phone vibrates next to him on the mattress.

 

 

**From: my vamp** ⚰️

> are you still drunk?  
> your spelling gives me a headache

 

 

**To: my vamp** ⚰️

sure took ur time to answer sorry for bothering u<  
answer my questin pls i don’t remmeber anything <

 

 

**From: my vamp** ⚰️

> you didn’t do anything  
> i’m out of town that’s why i haven’t been around  
> and don’t text me anymore your grammar kinda makes me angry

 

 

**To: my vamp** ⚰️

when r u coming back ?<

 

 

Jongin doesn’t reply immediately, even though he’s clearly online. 

 

 

**From: my vamp** ⚰️

> why do you care?

 

 

Ouch.

Kyungsoo gnaws on his lower lip, rubbing at his eyes when the light from his phone screen starts hurting his eyes in his otherwise dark bedroom. 

He figures Jongin’s right, though. The way Kyungsoo’s been treating him, he really shouldn’t care about the vampire’s whereabouts or why he isn’t picking Kyungsoo up from school anymore. 

 

 

**To: my vamp** ⚰️

i don’t <  
u can stay away forever idc <

 

 

**From: my vamp** ⚰️

> right.  
> i’ll be back on friday

 

 

**To: my vamp** ⚰️

whatever <

 

 

The last message was completely unnecessary but Kyungsoo feels petty and it’s also— he thought Jongin and him were getting along or something. It’s throwing him off that the vampire is acting so distant all of a sudden, even though he’s supposedly out of town for some kind of reason. 

Kyungsoo huffs and locks his phone, diving under his covers to pretend that it doesn’t bother him that he has to wait three more days until he can see Jongin again. 

 

 

 

 

“Are you sure you didn’t do something?” Jongdae asks, looking up from his cup noodles, the steam rising into his face.

Kyungsoo sighs, arms and legs spread on the floor, like he’s trying to become a sea star. Something is digging into his ribs from behind but he can’t be bothered to move. 

Wednesdays are always hell. His day was filled with classes and there’s this tall dude in his software architecture class that keeps sitting next to him. He’s always carrying around this weird stone, claiming that it absorbs radiation from laptops and phones around him. He also smells like VapoRub and wears tie-dye shirts.

“I told you I don’t remember.” Kyungsoo stares at the cracks in his ceiling, trying to crack them even further by sheer force of will. He’s disappointed when nothing happens; a part of him will never give up hoping that maybe there is something supernatural about him after all. 

Jongdae slurps his noodles, chewing on them with a thoughtful look on his face. “Maybe you’re just reading too much into this. Maybe something _did_ come up. Vampires are busy, you know. Yeeun keeps attending these weird clan meetings.” 

Kyungsoo shrugs. “I don’t know. You’re probably right.” But he still has this weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. Almost like something bad is about to happen and he just can’t seem to get rid of it. 

Something about Jongin leaving Kyungsoo unprotected for so long just irks him. 

Yeah, okay, Kyungsoo didn’t want the protection in the first place but it’s not really about that. They don’t have that special bond other couples have so Jongin wouldn’t be able to tell if Kyungsoo was in danger. Does that mean Jongin doesn’t care anymore if Kyungsoo gets hurt? 

Did Kyungsoo throw up on him and scare him off or something?

A sudden thought makes Kyngsoo crease his eyebrows in confusion. He’s not sure where it comes from, but he suddenly sees a picture in his head of Jongin staring at him with crimson eyes.

“When do vampires get red eyes?” Kyungsoo asks, moving to lean up on his elbows so he can look at Jongdae. His friend snorts at Kyungsoo’s messy state; he’s having a bad hair day to put it mildly and he’s wearing a tacky, orange sweater that reads _Just code it!_

“I can’t believe you don’t know that stuff, Soo.” He scoffs. “You realize that was part of general ed in freshman year, yeah?”

Kyungsoo shrugs, nodding his head. “So, what does it mean?” 

“Well, they mostly get red eyes when they’re in danger or they’re, like, really hungry.” Jongdae explains. “Oh, and also when—“ He stops, a wary look crossing his eyes. “Why are you asking?” 

“What? Oh, just curious.” Kyungsoo smiles innocently. 

“Did Jongin ever have red eyes around you?” Jongdae asks, suddenly sounding too serious for Kyungsoo’s liking. 

“Uh… Maybe? One time?” Kyungsoo tries to laugh it off. “I was kind of bleeding, so that explains why.”

Jongdae nods slowly, eyebrows drawn together in concern. “And that was the only time?” 

Kyungsoo hesitates this time. He can’t actually _remember_ another instance where Jongin’s eyes changed color around him but the picture in his head is definitely not from the night Kyungsoo was attacked and caused Jongin’s eyes to turn red because of his blood. “Yeah. That was the only time.” 

Jongdae relaxes immediately. “Okay. Good.” 

Kyungsoo gives him a forced smile. 

He has no idea why it feels like he just lied to his best friend. 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo isn’t left in the dark for too long after that. 

He hasn’t been attacked ever since that last time Jongin saved him, at least not until tonight. 

This time, there is no way he’s going to make it out alive. 

He feels the exact moment his heart seems to stop, his feet slowing down as he spots the dark figure at the end of the road in front of him. It is facing him and it’s like a scene right out of a horror movie; one lonely lantern throwing the person’s shadow on the pavement, the small puddles in the ground reflecting the orange light and not one single soul aside from the two of them is around. 

Kyungsoo even followed Jongin’s advice and avoided abandoned alleyways on his way back home, even though it means that it’s prolonging the walk by almost ten minutes.

He takes a shaky breath and places one foot behind himself and then the other. The figure tilts it’s head for a tense second, and then, stalks towards him. Kyungsoo curses and turns around, starting to run even though he knows very well that if that creature wants to kill him tonight, then Kyungsoo is going to die no matter how fast he runs. 

“Fuck off, fuck off, fuck off!” Kyungsoo pants out when he hears the feet behind him get closer and closer. “I can’t fucking die! I’m supposed to graduate next year you dipshit—“ 

It’s like his backpack gets caught on something because he feels the straps around his shoulders tighten before he’s being hauled to the ground, his head knocking against the ground painfully. 

Kyungsoo groans in pain, his vision blurring with dark spots dancing around. 

“A pretty fast runner, aren’t we?” Whatever is coming to a halt right behind his head squats down to loom over him, it’s face upside down and hidden behind the hood that is pulled into it’s face. The voice seems to belong to a male person but Kyungsoo can’t be sure.

“W-What—“ Kyungsoo groans again when fingers tighten in his hair, tilting his head further back. “What the fuck are you?” 

There’s an amused chuckle rumbling through the chest above him. A hand moves up to remove the hood and Kyungsoo squeezes his eyes shut after spotting two things in the male face that look like literal black holes. 

“What do you think I am, love?” The voice almost coos, fingers smoothing over Kyungsoo’s hair. Now it sounds like a woman.

“Fuck, don’t touch me!” Kyungsoo struggles against the hold, which was a bad move, because suddenly the hand isn’t so gentle anymore, instead digging the tips of it’s nails into his skin.

Why the hell does he have to be so _weak_?

And Jongin isn’t there. He’s not here and he’s not going to come save Kyungsoo because Kyungsoo was so damn stubborn and too prideful and now he’s paying the price. 

Not only that, Jongin will probably go to jail even though none of this is fault. 

“I wouldn’t anger me if I were you. I’ll make it less painful if you’re nice.”

“Fuck you!” Kyungsoo snaps, feeling tears pool in his eyes. “I’m not scared of you.” 

“Really?” The black eyes blink at him and before Kyungsoo knows what’s happening, a hand curls around his arm and claws dig into his skin. It hurts. It hurts a whole fucking lot. Kyungsoo screams in pain and within a few seconds, the fabric above the wound is drenched in blood. The creature above him takes in a deep breath, moaning as it takes in the scent of blood. “God, you smell—“ 

The creature freezes, it’s jaw dropping and Kyungsoo squeezes his eyes shut just in time before the blood dripping out of it’s mouth can get into them. He’s shaking in fear, eyes still closed as he hears the body land on the ground next to him with a heavy thud. 

“Kyungsoo.” 

He feels tears leaking out of his eyes, the voice sending such a huge relief through him that he can’t quite control his emotions anymore. “I’m too old for this shit.” He stutters, opening his eyes and letting Jongin help him sit up. 

Jongin is dressed formally, almost as if he was attending a business meeting before he teleported here. “You’re hurt.” Jongin states, hands hovering around his arms like he’s not sure if he should touch. 

Even Kyungsoo can smell the heavy, irony stench of blood in the air. He can only imagine how torturous it must be for Jongin. “I’m fine.” Kyungsoo swallows heavily, ignoring the sharp pain in his arm and the fact that he just escaped death. 

Again. 

“Let me see your arm.” Jongin mumbles, not meeting Kyungsoo’s eyes at all. In fact, he seems to be doing it on purpose. He looks extremely tense. 

“What are you doing here?” Kyungsoo asks as a sudden thought hits him, pushing Jongin’s hands away from his body. “You said you were out of town.” 

Jongin clenches his jaw and Kyungsoo can see his hands shaking.

“Are you deaf now?” Kyungsoo snaps, feeling angry all of a sudden. He’s not actually angry. He’s absolutely terrified for some reason that has nothing to do with him having a near death experience again. “How did you know I was in trouble? We’re not— we’re not bonded.” 

It takes another ten seconds for Jongin to move, but he finally lifts his head, his eyes absolutely exhausted and— full of apologies as he looks at Kyungsoo. “Something happened.” 

Kyungsoo’s eyes flicker over Jongin’s face anxiously. “What?”

“You have every right to be upset but just—“ Jongin takes a deep breath and seems to regret it instantly when it’s full of Kyungsoo’s blood, a shudder running through his body and fingers curling into fists. “Just— I didn’t mean for this to happen. I tried so hard to respect your boundaries and I don’t know how it happened—“

“How what happened?” Kyungsoo interrupts him harshly. 

Jongin looks like he’s in pain. “You know there’s… only one way for me to sense your fear without drinking your blood.”

Kyungsoo feels like he just got slapped. He stops breathing, just keeps staring at the vampire in front of him, blood draining from his face.

He remembers the picture in his head again, Jongin looking at him with red eyes, looking scared. Jongin avoiding him. Jongin teleporting here, knowing Kyungsoo got attacked without any possible way of sensing it if he wasn’t— if they weren’t—

“You _claimed_ me?” Kyungsoo whispers, his heart pounding so hard he fears it’s going to explode. 

Jongin lowers his head, eyebrows drawn together in what Kyungsoo thinks is shame. That’s enough of an answer. 

Kyungsoo starts shaking. “You fucking claimed me?!” He yells. Jongin flinches. 

“I’m sorry—“

“Reverse it!”

“What?” Jongin gives him an incredulous look. “I can’t _reverse_ it Kyungsoo—“  


“No! Shut the fuck up you’re all the same! Your’e all monsters!” Kyungsoo hisses and Jongin recoils like he was slapped and for a flicker of a second, Kyungsoo regrets his words. 

Kyungsoo scrambles to stand up, knees almost giving out because his head is still pounding and his arm is throbbing, blood dripping down his soaked sleeve because he was supposed to die but didn’t and now he has a vampire on his hands who decided to claim him on top of it all. 

Vampires only claim someone when they’re sure that someone is their _mate._

Vampires only mate once in their lives.

If Kyungsoo knows anything about vampire biology, then it’s that fact right there. 

Jongin claimed Kyungsoo; Jongin claimed Kyungsoo as his mate.

The way Jongin stands there, looking at Kyungsoo like nothing makes sense to him anymore, tears at his heart but he ignores the feeling, staring at the vampire with nothing but accusation in his eyes.

“I’m going to request another Guardian.” 

Jongin flinches, eyes widening. “You can’t—“

“What do you mean I can’t? I can and I will!”

“I can’t drink _anyone’s_ blood but yours. My body physically refuses it. You can’t request another vampire because I would—“

“I don’t fucking care what happens to you! You can go die for all I care! What were you _thinking?_ You amazingly stupid vampire—“

“Do you think I _wanted_ this?!” Jongin suddenly shouts. Kyungsoo closes his mouth reluctantly, taking a step back when he sees gold bursting in Jongin’s eyes. Jongin shakes his head and it’s like he stops restraining himself for the first time ever since they met. “Do you seriously think I wanted someone who hates me to the bone? You’re the weirdest person I’ve ever met in my life! Let alone how fucking rude you are and you dress like a fruitcake! Why would any sane person claim you?! If I had a choice you’d be the last fucking person on this planet I’d chose to be my mate!” 

Kyungsoo recoils and the anger instantly fades from Jongin’s face, leaving room for nothing but regret. 

Jongin’s words— they hurt more than the wound in his arm. In fact, they hurt so much it stops his lungs from working for just a moment. His nose starts to prickle with the promise of tears and he brings his clean sleeve up to rub over his eyes before he can actually start crying. 

“Stay the fuck away from me.” Kyungsoo mutters, trying to calm down despite feeling like he’s going to burst. His heart hurts. “I’m gonna shove a silver cross up your ass if you come near me again.”

Jongin lowers his head, his features pained and that’s the last Kyungsoo sees of him before he turns around and leaves.

 

 

 

 

It’s hard to admit, but his fight with Jongin affects Kyungsoo more than he could’ve imagined. 

He hasn’t seen or heard from the vampire in over two weeks. 

It’s what Kyungsoo had wanted. But it doesn’t make him as happy as he thought it would.

It’s the opposite, really. Kyungsoo feels horrible. He can’t sleep, can’t really eat, can’t get his stupid English assignment done and more than anything, he can’t get Jongin’s hurt expression out of his head. 

“What the hell are you wearing?” 

Kyungsoo stops pushing around the food on his plate and slowly looks up at his best friend. Jongdae sets his tray down on the table, sitting down with his eyebrows drawn together in concern. 

“Clothes.” Kyungsoo states. 

“Yeah but—“ Jongdae furrows his eyebrows even further. “They’re black. Why?” 

“What’s wrong with that?” 

“You don’t _wear_ black.” Jongdae slowly speaks, like he’s talking to a toddler. “In fact, you hate black. You always tell me that black and white aren’t actual colors.” 

“Yeah, well.” Kyungsoo shrugs, digging his fork into a piece of meat, telling himself that it looks very appetising before he gives up and sets his fork down. He’s not hungry. “I changed my mind. Black is now my favorite color.” 

“No it’s not.” Jongdae snorts, sticking his straw into his banana milk and drinking it with his cheeks sucked in. “Does this have something to do with Jongin?” 

“No!” Kyungsoo snaps, lowering his head when several other students turn to throw them curious looks. “I thought we agreed on not mentioning that name anymore.” 

“Dramatic much?” Jongdae rolls his eyes. “The guy isn’t dead and I’m not gonna pretend he is just because you’re butthurt.” 

Kyungsoo wishes he was simply butthurt and not _actually_ hurt. He knows whatever was said between him and Jongin was mostly said in the heat of the moment, or at least that’s what Jongdae’s been trying to convince him to believe. But don’t people usually speak honestly when they lose their cool? 

He doesn’t know why it hurts, knowing that Jongin’s been thinking so lowly of him all along. At least Kyungsoo’s always been honest and never tried to hide his distaste towards the vampire, at least until they started to somewhat get along towards the end. 

He usually doesn’t care how people see him and it’s also definitely not the first time someone’s spoken their mind about Kyungsoo being a weirdo or dressing “differently”. It’s been a while since he’s been bothered by someone’s remarks, so why now?

Kyungsoo shakes his head, falling silent, which is worrying enough. 

Jongdae sighs, his shoulders dropping. “How long has it been? Since you last talked to him?”

Kyungsoo shrugs. “Two weeks or something.” 

Jongdae purses his lips. “You won’t like hearing this, but Soo, this is serious. I don’t think you understand what it means for a vampire to claim someone. You feeling miserable right now is nothing compared to how he must be feeling.” 

“But how is that my fault?” Kyungsoo sighs, bringing his hands up to rub at his eyes. He’s so tired of this. “Why is it my responsibility?” 

“Because you signed that contract and because— because you don’t really have a choice. It sucks, I know, but it would suck a lot less if you would stop resisting so much.” Jongdae pinches the bridge of his nose. “He could die, you know that, right?” 

Kyungsoo’s head snaps up, his eyes wary and anxious. “What?” 

“Yeah, of course you wouldn’t know.” Jongdae shakes his head and leans closer. “When a vampire gets rejected by the person they’ve claimed, their bodies start shutting down. I mean— they don’t just die overnight but they get pretty weak pretty fast unless they claim someone else.”

“You’re lying. I’ve never heard of that happening before.” Kyungsoo huffs but the anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach tells him that Jongdae is telling the truth.

“That’s because it rarely ever happens, Soo.” Jongdae gives him a pointed look. “Because pairs normally start sharing blood from the get-go, which simultaneously means mutual acceptance of each other. Like it was with Yeeun and me.” 

Kyungsoo bites down on his bottom lip to stop it from shaking. He’s usually not this emotional but fuck, he has no idea what’s going on anymore. It’s like his heart is just constantly hurting ever since he last saw Jongin and he can’t seem to ease the pain no matter what he tries. “Jongdae, what do I do?” 

Jongdae sighs and gets up to sit down next to Kyungsoo instead, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him into his side. “You know what you have to do.” 

“But I just…” Kyungsoo exhales shakily. “I never wanted this.” 

“I know. I’m sorry, Soo. But I mean… is it really that bad? With Jongin?” Jongdae makes a thoughtful noise. “You’re lucky. Other vampires would’ve— well, I guess it doesn’t matter. But Jongin is a nice guy. You should’ve seen how he took care of you that night at the club. It was actually quite heartwarming—“  


“Stop.” Kyungsoo groans, the guilt quadrupling in his chest. “I don’t want to hear that.” 

“Look.” Jongdae pulls away to look at Kyungsoo. “I know you hate the fact that we didn’t get to have a choice in this, but it is what it is and maybe one day people will have their free will back but just… not yet. Jongin hasn’t done anything wrong. I know your heart, Soo. You wouldn’t let anyone get hurt for no reason. You definitely don’t want him to hurt.” 

“Okay. Please stop.” Kyungsoo groans yet snuggles back into his best friend’s side. 

Jongdae snorts and turns to kiss his temple before pulling away with a low noise. “When was the last time you showered? I can practically see squiggly cartoon odour lines above your head.” 

“Two weeks ago.” Kyungsoo lies. 

Jongdae pushes him away, howling, and Kyungsoo laughs without having to force it out for the first time in a few days. 

 

 

 

 

The next days are even worse. 

Kyungsoo’s thoughts are completely scattered; he constantly feels antsy and when he tries to sleep, his body’s itching to grab his phone and check up on Jongin. 

He can’t sleep, he can’t focus on his studies, he practically has no appetite and his thoughts are a constant, torturous loop of a certain vampire’s name connected to pictures of that certain vampire dying because of him.

He’s practically dragging his body out of the building by the end of his last class that day. His knees feel a little shaky and his eyes hurt and he feels a little sick because he hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday night. 

The sight of all the pairs around him, holding hands, proudly showing off their claim marks on their necks or wrists, all of it only makes Kyungsoo feel more nauseous.

He thinks his mind is playing tricks on him, that he’s started to hallucinate from the lack of sleep when he sees a fancy red car parked by the entrance, a tall dark figure leaning against it. It’s already dark outside so he can’t actually see who it is from afar.

The overwhelming feeling of hope blooming in his chest makes Kyungsoo feel even more miserable but he pushes it aside and walks down the steps as fast as he can, until he’s close enough to realize that it’s not the car he was hoping to see, and also not the person his eyes were looking for. 

“Mingyu?” Kyungsoo says, slowing down and coming to a stop in front of the vampire. He looks so much like Jongin, even dresses like him, but he’s not him and Kyungsoo can’t help but feel crushed. His face falls, his shoulders slump in disappointment and he doesn’t have the energy to worry about his reaction.

“Kyungsoo hyung.” Mingyu gives him a smile, but it looks pitying. “You don’t look so well.” 

“I know.” Kyungsoo smiles weakly. “What brings you here?” 

“I think you know why.” Mingyu scratches the back of his head, eyes nervously taking in their surroundings. “Can you get in the car? I don’t feel comfortable standing around in the open like this.”

Kyungsoo nods his head and climbs into the passenger seat when Mingyu holds the door open for him. It smells like pines inside and Kyungsoo’s flicker to the green air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror. 

“Are you cold?” Mingyu asks after pulling out of the parking lot. Kyungsoo gives a small nod and watches the vampire fiddle with a few buttons. It only takes a few seconds before the air inside the car starts warming up. 

Kyungsoo sighs, his eyelids drooping and body melting into the seat. He’s so tired. “Are you taking me to him?”

Mingyu bites down on his lower lip, his sharp canines turning the skin white. “Yeah.” 

Kyungsoo gulps, a lump forming in his throat. “H-How is he?” 

Mingyu turns to look at him. His features are relaxed and he gives Kyungsoo a kind look even though he’s the reason his brother is suffering so much. “He’s been better.” 

It’s silent inside the car for a while, the blue interior lights making everything feel kind of dreamy. Kyungsoo can barely keep his eyes open at this point, but he also can’t fall asleep. It’s so frustrating it makes tears well up in his eyes. He doesn’t know why he’s such a wreck, why he’s so emotional or why he’s so upset that Jongin didn’t come pick him up himself. 

Mingyu takes a deep breath. “Are you sick?” 

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “Just a bit tired.” 

“Jongin hyung could tell something was off but he’s… he’s too weak to leave the house right now.” Mingyu clears his throat. “He didn’t want us to contact you but he’s— he’s my brother. I couldn’t just watch him suffer like that. And I’m sorry I’m taking you against your will but it’s, uhm, kind of a matter of life and death at this point.” 

“Is it really that bad?” Kyungsoo asks. “Is he going to die if I don’t… if I don’t…”

“He’s okay for now. We’re pretty strong but… hyung hasn’t had any blood in almost two months so it’s, uh, kind of bad.” Mingyu says. “Kyungsoo hyung, I’m going to warn you. Things are pretty tense at home right now. I mean, we’re all really protective over each other but everyone’s really worried about Jongin hyung. If it wasn’t for him stopping them they would’ve called the authorities by now and you’d be in a lot of trouble so I just… I really didn’t have another choice. I’m sorry it has to be like this.” 

“Why are you apologizing?” Kyungsoo whispers. “I’m the one breaking the law. Your brother is almost dying because of me. You should hate me.” 

“Hyung told me a few things.” Mingyu shrugs. “I know you’re not a bad person. You’re scared. You don’t want to be oppressed. Who would want that? But just— you have to know, hyung is the last person on this planet that would ever abuse his powers. I think he kind of proved that in the last few weeks, don’t you agree?” 

Kyungsoo sniffles and sinks lower on his seat, closing his eyes and turning his head to look out of the window. 

Mingyu seems to get the message, because the rest of the ride is spent in silence.

 

 

He doesn’t know where he expects Jongin to live, but once they arrive at the Kim’s house he flushes when he realizes he was thinking of them living in the woods in a freaking glass cabin like Edward fucking Cullen and his family. 

It’s a very mundane looking house; if anything, it’s a little bit bigger than most houses, which isn’t surprising since they’re quite a big… family. It’s also situated in a neighbourhood where Kyungsoo knows humans reside at. 

Mingyu parks the car in the garage and leads Kyungsoo upstairs with an encouraging smile on his face. Kyungsoo hates to admit it but the vampire makes him feel safe, at least given the circumstances in which, you know, everyone upstairs probably wants Kyungsoo dead. 

Kyungsoo follows him down the hall once they’re upstairs into an open space that mostly just looks like a huge living room. There’s a woman sitting on the couch, watching TV and a man next to her, busy with his phone. They look up as soon as Kyungsoo steps inside, both giving him friendly smiles. 

“You must be Kyungsoo.” She gets up and walks up to him, shaking his hand with a firm grip. “I’m Jongin’s mom. You can call me Jihyo.” 

Kyungsoo wants to say something but he finds that he can’t really move. He’s staring at the woman like an absolute moron. Why isn’t she lashing out on him? 

She chuckles and steps aside for the man to introduce himself. 

“No need to be scared, Kyungsoo.” The man smiles. He squeezes Kyungsoo’s shoulder in a very fatherly way. “I’m Minho. Jongin’s father.” 

“H-Hi.” Kyungsoo finally manages to stutter. He’s just overwhelmed, okay? All these people are absolutely beautiful and they could kill him before he so much as blinks. 

“Mingyu, will you excuse us for a moment?” Jongin’s mother reaches out to pat his cheek. “Thank you for picking Kyungsoo up.” 

Mingyu smiles happily and squeezes his mom’s hand before turning around. “You’ll be okay, hyung, yeah?” 

Kyungsoo gives the boy a surprised look before nodding his head. It almost sounds like he’s concerned for Kyungsoo’s well being, which is kind of touching. “Y-Yeah. Thanks.” 

“Oh, and tell Sehun and Sooyoung to stop being nosy.” She sighs. “I know they’re hiding in the kitchen.” 

Having heard their mothers’ words, Sehun and a girl Kyungsoo assumes is Jongin’s sister, Sooyoung, step out from the corner, the girl shooting Kyungsoo a fleeting smile before rushing off while Sehun sends a glare in his direction, fingers curled into fists.

Kyungsoo gulps and unconsciously takes a step towards Jongin’s parents.

“So, Kyungsoo, I will make this short.” Jihyo speaks once the others have gone upstairs. “I know things aren’t exactly… ideal between you and Jongin. He’s really not doing well but by the looks of it, you aren’t either.” 

Kyungsoo smiles weakly. “Is it that obvious?” 

She nods her head, a gentle look in her eyes. “I hope Mingyu didn’t forcefully take you here?”

“Oh, no!” Kyungsoo is quick to assure her. “No, I came willingly.” 

“Okay. Good.” She nods her head. “You won’t be forced to do anything you don’t want to do, okay? Not in our household. Jongin put his claim on you, so we as a family will make sure that you’re always safe and comfortable.” 

Kyungsoo gulps, the term ‘claim’ sending a wave of anxiety through his system. 

Jongin’s parents can sense it, obviously, and their expressions grow concerned. 

Minho steps forward now. “I have a proposition for you, Kyungsoo. My son shouldn’t have claimed you the way he did. From what I heard, most of the whole arrangement between you and him was not something you wanted. I have connections. I can help you get out of the contract.”

Kyungsoo stumbles back, his eyes widening at the man’s words. “What? But what about Jongin? He already claimed me, he needs me—“

“I know.” The man nods his head, looking like he’s trying to suppress a smile. “There are ways for him to claim someone else. It won’t be as effective as the claim he put on you but he’d be able to survive.” 

Kyungsoo frowns at the thought. Jongin claiming someone else?

That… That’s definitely something that would’ve made him dance in joy only a few weeks prior. 

“Look, you don’t have to make a decision right away.” The man continues. “This is just for you to know that you do have a say in things. You have a way out, if you want. We don’t support the system, Kyungsoo, but unfortunately most of our kind does, and it won’t change for a long time. We will help all of our children’s mates. Potential mates.” He corrects himself at the panicked look in Kyungsoo’s eyes.

He knows he should feel reassured and relieved after hearing all of that but for some reason, Kyungsoo doesn’t feel that way at all.

The only thing he wants right now is to go and see Jongin.

“Can you take me to him?” He asks, his voice small.

“Sure. Come on.” Jongin’s mom leads him upstairs and Kyungsoo follows her until she stops in front of a white door a little further away from the rest. She hesitates and looks at Kyungsoo. “I trust my son completely. He would never harm you.” 

“I know.” Kyungsoo says and sucks in a breath, surprised by how fast and easily the words slipped out.

“We’ll intervene if anything happens.” She gives him a firm nod. “You’re safe, okay?” 

Kyungsoo gulps and nods his head. 

She gives him a warm smile, the pearls in her ears catching the light from the hallway. She pats Kyungsoo’s arm and then leaves.

Kyungsoo stares at the door for a good minute, trying to calm himself down. Normally, Jongin would be able to tell he was here; heck, he would’ve known no matter where Kyungsoo was because of the claim but Jongin must be really weak to not notice his presence. 

He knocks on the door after taking a few calming breaths, and when he doesn’t hear anything for a while, slowly opens it. His heart is stuck somewhere in his throat, beating loudly while he enters the room. 

It’s dark inside save for a small lamp that’s faintly illuminating the room from the corner it’s standing at. The blinds are completely shut, not that it matters since it’s dark outside, but it’s also way too cold in the room, bordering on freezing. It has Kyungsoo shivering. He quietly closes the door behind him, his eyes nervously travelling across the room before he stops at the lump on the large bed in the middle of the room. 

He presses his back against the door, wanting nothing more than to turn around and leave again because what is he doing here? He feels like he just entered a lion’s den, like he’s digging his own grave, he really shouldn’t be here—

The lump moves on the bed before it suddenly freezes. Jongin shoots up into a sitting position but he ends up knocking himself over, not able to keep his balance. He makes a pained sound that tugs at Kyungsoo’s heartstrings and effectively pulls him away from the door. 

“Jongin?” He whispers nervously, his fingers locked together tightly to keep them from shaking. 

Jongin makes another sound, clearly disoriented. Kyungsoo flinches at his voice; it’s so scratchy and barely there, like it’s hurting Jongin to even speak. “Kyungsoo?” 

“Yeah. It’s me. Hi.” Kyungsoo clears his throat, closing his mouth so he doesn’t talk too much.

Jongin sits up again, his eyes trying to focus on Kyungsoo. His hair is a mess but that’s not what Kyungsoo is looking at; Jongin looks terrifying. His skin is pale and ashen, cheeks slightly sunken in and eyes glassy and red rimmed and his lips they’re— they’re tinted blue, they way Kyungsoo’s used to turn when he was a kid and stayed in the water for too long in the public swimming pool. 

The sight makes Kyungsoo’s heart drop to the pit of his stomach, a whimper leaving his lips. He knew Jongin must’ve been on the brink of dying, but having the visual confirmation is more than he was prepared for.

“What are you doing here?” Jongin asks, blinking like he’s trying to clear his sight. 

Kyungsoo swallows heavily, taking a careful step towards the vampire. “Mingyu picked me up from school.” 

“He shouldn’t have.” Jongin gulps, his head dropping. 

Kyungsoo bites down on his lower lip harshly. “I’m here to help you.” 

“I don’t want your help. Just go.” 

Kyungsoo grits his teeth together, stepping even closer to the bed until his knees are touching the mattress. “Do you know how worried everyone is about you? This is— This is all my fault, so just let me help.” 

Jongin slowly looks back up at him, meeting Kyungsoo’s eyes for the first time in a while. The gold in his irises is wavering a little, like a weak flame of a candle in the wind, like it’s about to flicker out. But there’s something else in there, too. You would expect Jongin to scowl at Kyungsoo, to look at him with hatred and disappointment, but Jongin claimed Kyungsoo and that’s just such a game changer, isn’t it?

Because despite everything, Jongin looks at him with something like suppressed longing, concern and hurt and confusion all swirling together for Kyungsoo to see. It’s so strange, because so far Kyungsoo was never really able to read the vampire. 

It’s like Jongin wasn’t only stripped of his powers but also of his ability to guard himself and his emotions. 

It makes Kyungsoo feel absolutely horrible, seeing Jongin so weak and vulnerable. 

“Do you know what you’re offering right now?” Jongin’s arm is shaking where he’s holding himself up.

Maybe it’s the little child in Kyungsoo who wanted to become a nurse when he grew up but he feels this deep urge inside of him to _help_ because believe it or not, Kyungsoo doesn’t actually enjoy seeing people suffer, _especially_ not people he— people who haven’t done anything wrong. 

So he shuffles forward and puts one knee on the mattress, carefully observing Jongin’s reactions. He then places his other knee on the bed too and Jongin looks like he would definitely be teleporting himself away at this point, if he had the strength to do so, that is. 

Kyungsoo’s heart threatens to leap out of his throat with how fast it’s beating when he reaches his hands out. 

Jongin shies away from his touch, shaking his head. “Kyungsoo, don’t—“

Kyungsoo ignores him and places his hands on Jongin’s shoulders, gently pushing the vampire to lean back against the headboard so he doesn’t have to hold himself up. Jongin struggles weakly but ends up falling back with a scowl, clearly embarrassed about his own weakness. 

Something else happens as soon as Kyungsoo’s fingers curl around Jonigin’s shoulders; his headache goes away like someone opened the windows in a room that was filled with suffocating smoke. The tight feeling that’s been clamped around his chest for weeks vanishes little by little and his body nearly collapses when all the discomfort is gone to leave room for nothing but exhaustion. He really just wants to curl up on Jongin’s ridiculously large mattress and sleep for the next three days. 

Kyungsoo shudders, overwhelmed and confused and entirely unprepared for how his body reacts to being close to the vampire again. There’s no other explanation for the sudden change even though Kyungsoo would like to blame it on anything else but this connection Jongin and him ended up having.

Jongin just blinks at him, his chest heaving weakly. “You were in pain. The entire week I— I could feel it. Are you okay?”

How Jongin can be worried about him even in his current staten is beyond him. It makes his heart flutter and Kyungsoo flushes, fear and confusion making a mess of his emotions. “I’m fine.” 

Kyungsoo closes his eyes, pushing away all the fear and anxiety because Mingyu was right; this isn’t just about Kyungsoo anymore; he screwed up big-time and there’s just no messing around with this anymore. “H-How do I do this? Do I just hold still or—“  


“No!” Jongin all but growls, his hand shooting up to stop Kyungsoo from coming closer. He uses too much force because Kyungsoo’s literally flies to the end of the bed, landing on his back. His head is hanging from the mattress and he sees Jongin’s room upside down. He groans in pain and has half a mind to snap at the vampire for throwing him around like a sack of potatoes, but he guesses he deserved this one and he doesn’t have the time to do it anyway; strong hands grab him by the front of his sweater and haul him back into a sitting position. 

Jongin sinks back against the headboard with a pained expression, gasping for air like the simple action drained him of whatever energy he had left in his body. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?” 

“Stop asking me if I’m okay when you’re about to die!” Kyungsoo snaps, glaring at the vampire. His glare fades quickly when he meets Jongin’s eyes, too worried and vulnerable. “Just tell me what to do, Jongin.” 

“I don’t want to.” Jongin whispers, his eyes flashing golden again. It’s a little stronger now, which is a good thing, right? “I can’t do that to you.” 

“I appreciate the concern.” Kyungsoo laughs but it sounds a little hysterical. “But I—“ He stops himself, looking deep into Jongin’s dark, warm eyes to try and convince himself that this is the right thing to do. “I want you to, okay? I want it. You’re not doing anything against my will.” 

“What did they say to you?” Jongin asks, voice cracking. “Did they threaten you? You don’t have to do anything Kyungsoo, I swear to god if they—“ 

“Hey! Stop. No one’s threatened me, okay? Are you not listening to me, you oaf?” Kyungsoo leans in until he can feel the tiny gasps escaping Jongin’s lips on his face. “Drink. My. Blood. Just do it, okay? I’m giving you permission.” 

Jongin sucks in a breath, the internal battle he’s having clear as day on his face. “Kyungsoo…” He whimpers.

Kyungsoo - being the sensitive and dramatic little shit he is - nearly tears up at the pained sound. His face crumples comically and his lower lip wobbles. “I don’t want to drag your dead ass out of this room, okay? Please just— just get on with it.” 

And Jongin takes a few calming breaths, staring at Kyungsoo intently, as if he’s giving him time to change his mind. When Kyungsoo doesn’t do anything but steadily meet Jongin’s gaze, the vampire’s eyes start glowing red. 

It’s like a switch was turned. 

He grabs Kyungsoo’s waist and pulls him in without warning and Kyungsoo lets out a squeak, steadying himself on the his shoulders while trying to arrange his legs. 

“What— Oh, uhm, okay…“ He ends up climbing on Jongin’s lap with ungraceful limbs. He gulps once he’s finally settled on the vampire’s lap, eyes flickering up and trembling fingers curling into Jongin’s shirt.

They’re both panting a little and Kyungsoo’s nose is filled with the dark, earthy scent emanating from the vampire. Their eyes are locked and Kyungsoo can’t stop himself from shaking. He doesn’t even know why he’s reacting like this. He’s not actually scared; a part of him trusts Jongin, it’s just the fear of the unknown, because he’s heard horror stories about these things, how much it hurts, how some people pass out—

“I’m sorry.” Jongin has this devastated look in his eyes as he takes in Kyungsoo’s reaction, arms wrapping around Kyungsoo almost like he’s trying to comfort him. “I’ll— I’ll try to be gentle. I’ll make it quick. Tell me to stop, I swear I’ll stop—“

“Don’t” Kyungsoo squeezes his eyes shut. ”Just do what you have to do. Don’t worry about me.”

Jongin pulls Kyungsoo closer, his nose pressing against Kyungsoo’s pulse point and he trembles violently when he takes in Kyungsoo’s scent. “I’m sorry.” He whispers again and Kyungsoo shudders when he feels him press a gentle kiss against his fluttering pulse. Kyungsoo holds his breath and presses himself closer against Jongin’s body as if the vampire could protect him when _he’s_ the one who’s about to hurt him—

There’s a sharp pain in his neck when Jongin’s fangs cut through his skin. 

It burns. 

It burns like _hell._

Kyungsoo whimpers pathetically, trying to move away on instinct but Jongin groans in warning, pulling him closer instead. He retracts his fangs once he deems the punctures deep enough and then he starts sucking and oh— 

The pain is gone as quickly as it came. Kyungsoo’s body goes completely lax against Jongin’s when he feels his blood flowing out of his veins on his neck, warm and thick with Jongin’s mouth catching all of it.

It doesn’t hurt. 

No it feels— it feels— 

“Oh…” Kyungsoo breathes when he feels himself stir between his legs, his body automatically pressing down against Jongin’s, neck tilting to the side to give him more access. It’s the strangest feeling in the world, the pleasure filling up his body inch by inch and Kyungsoo suddenly understands what Jongin meant. This feels like a brewing orgasm and it’s so strange because he’s not being touched anywhere that could trigger that sort of reaction. 

His head is all light and airy and he can hear a distant ringing sound in his ears. “Shit, you weren’t kidding when you said— when you said that it feels like—“ Kyungsoo trails off, closing his mouth before he can do something stupid like _moan._

Jongin pulls him closer, his fingers like a vice grip around his waist, his mouth hot and wet as he drink and drinks and drinks… Kyungsoo starts feeling numb all over, he’s rock hard in his sweatpants, his hips twitching, desperately trying to find some sort of friction.

Jongin is hard too but he’s holding Kyungsoo still, effectively stopping their hips from touching and Kyungsoo is taken aback by how much self control the vampire has, definitely more than Kyungsoo who just wants to relieve the pressure in his pants. Everything is so hot, his mind numb and Kyungsoo really wants Jongin to touch him, to make the ache between his legs go away. 

“Jongin…” He whispers, his fingers slowly uncurling from Jongin’s shirt because he’s getting too weak to control his muscles. He faintly thinks that he might just die, because it feels like Jongin’s been drinking for hours when it’s barely been a minute but he finds that he doesn’t care. 

Who wouldn’t want to die feeling like they’re on the brink of a mind blowing orgasm?

Jongin makes a strange sound and he trembles a bit, sucking harder and Kyungsoo feels panic rush through him because what if Jongin can’t stop himself? 

But it doesn’t matter; Jongin suddenly pulls away like he was burned, panting heavily and he licks over Kyungsoo’s neck, over the throbbing, sore spot on his skin over and over until the pain slowly starts to ebb away. 

“Don’t stop” Kyungsoo weakly says, trying to pull Jongin’s mouth back against his neck. “You didn’t drink enough.” 

It’s true. Given how weak Jongin was before, he needs at least the double amount of blood he just drank from Kyungsoo to function properly again. He’s not even sure if he could take anymore of this without actually passing out but he finds that he doesn’t care as long as Jongin is okay, which scares him to death. His head lolls against Jongin’s neck, exhausted and light headed, completely blind for a couple of seconds. 

“Kyungsoo.” Jongin whispers urgently, still panting heavily. He curls his arms around Kyungsoo’s waist protectively, pulling him closer. He brings one hand up to cradle Kyungsoo’s cheek and pulls him away from his chest to look at him. “Hey, Kyungsoo. You with me?” 

Kyungsoo tries to focus on him but he can’t. He’s tired, black spots clouding his vision. “‘m dizzy.” 

Once the effects start to ebb away, his humiliating situation in his pants going down with it, all that’s left is a feeling that feels a lot like a horrible hangover. 

Jongin doesn’t talk for a moment. Kyungsoo hears him sniffle, feels his fingers tremble where he’s still holding Kyungsoo’s cheek and when he finally blinks his eyes open, he frowns because Jongin’s eyes are brimming with tears. 

It would look quite endearing, having a big not-so-bad vampire crying in front of him, but Kyungsoo’s mind is somewhere in the clouds and he has a hard time forming proper thoughts.

“H-Hey. Why are you crying?” Kyungsoo asks, trying to clear his head even though it feels like his pulse is everywhere. 

Jongin doesn’t answer for a while, his lower lip trembling while he obviously tries to keep it together. He sniffles and Kyungsoo’s heart aches when another tear drips from his eyes. “Kyungsoo I feel so fucking disgusting—“ Jongin finally says. “I didn’t want to do this to you. I’m so sorry you had to do this—” 

“Stop.” Kyungsoo chuckles weakly. “Hey, no one’s forced me to do this, okay? I wanted it. I gave you my consent. It’s fine. You’re fine, I’m fine, everything’s peachy!” 

Except it’s not, because Jongin isn’t supposed to react like this. He’s supposed to pin Kyungsoo down and drink as much as he wants, not give a damn about Kyungsoo’s well-being but not _this._

“It’s not.” Jongin pulls him closer, arms tight and secure around Kyungsoo. It feels good to be in Jongin’s arms. Safe and warm. “This wasn’t the last time I’ll need your blood. Is that still fine?”

Kyungsoo muffles a laugh, bringing a clumsy hand up to rub the single tear from Jongin’s cheek. “Stupid vampire.” He continues to touch Jongin’s pretty face weakly until Jongin brings his hand up to engulf Kyungsoo’s in his own. He brushes his thumb over Kyungsoo’s knuckles gently, calming him, his eyes still red and completely focused on Kyungsoo. “You know, there’s no way out of this for me. I’ll have to share my blood with some vampire at some point. I… I don’t know. It could be worse. You’re not so bad.” 

“But you hate my guts.” Jongin mumbles.

“I don’t hate _you_.” Kyungsoo mumbles, feeling his cheeks flush because Jongin is staring at him so intently. “I hate the situation we’re in but I— I realized that I was being selfish. You didn’t have a choice either and I mean, I almost killed you so I’ll, uhm, I’ll try to be less of an asshole. I’ll be better.” 

“You’re already good.” Jongin licks his lips, the red in his eyes flashing when he catches some of the dried blood there. Kyungsoo shudders and Jongin’s eyes darken. Something pulls them together, like there are magnets in their chests, and Kyungsoo finds it extremely hard to control himself and not lean into Jongin’s warmth and body. “Kyungsoo.” 

Kyungsoo shivers at the way Jongin says his name, suddenly overwhelmed with being around the vampire. “Yes?”

“I’m sorry for what I said to you that night. I didn’t mean any of it.”

“It’s okay.” Kyungsoo smiles, even though the memory of the words Jongin said to him still kind of makes his heart hurt. “I deserved it. You were only telling the truth.”

“No I wasn’t.” Jongin’s grip on Kyungsoo’s waist tightens and Kyungsoo bites down on his bottom lip at how possessive it feels. “You… You’re different but I like that about you.” Jongin trails off, realizing what he said and Kyungsoo can feel his heart beat somewhere in his throat when he sees how Jongin starts blushing. 

Kyungsoo blinks at Jongin, his fingers tightening in his shirt and Jongin looks at him like he expects Kyungsoo to punch him. 

He tells himself that the only reason that butterflies erupt in his chest at Jongin’s words is because that’s a natural reaction of the human body to a confession like that. 

“I’m tired.” Kyungsoo blurts, trying to distract the both of them. “Can I sleep? Wake me up in… like, five minutes?” 

“Yeah. Of course.” Jongin clears his throat, gently manoeuvring him to lie down on the mattress. He drapes the covers over Kyungsoo’s body and finally Kyungsoo is kind of shielded from the freezing air around them. With all the blood that’s left his body his limbs have kind of started to feel like icicles.

Jongin lies down facing him, careful not to touch Kyungsoo even though he kind of looks like he wants to. 

He stares at the vampire for a while, at his complexion that already looks so much healthier, so much more alive. “Why’s it so cold in here?” 

Jongin licks his lips. They’re not blue anymore; they’re stained with blood— _Kyungsoo’s_ blood and the sight makes him shudder. “The cold helps numb the pain.” Jongin doesn’t sugarcoat it. 

Kyungsoo swallows heavily. “Are you still in pain? Right now?” 

“No.” Jongin stares at him, an intense and gentle look in his eyes. “I feel a lot better. Thanks to you.” 

“I did my job. Nothing else.” Kyungsoo sighs, shivering. It’s still cold and he still feels really numb in places. “Wanna cuddle?” 

Jongin blinks at him, his eyes widening a little. “W-What?” 

“I’m really cold and I— I don’t know.” He doesn’t want to say that he feels used, like someone who was discarded after sex like a used condom. He shouldn’t care but he’s exhausted and he just lost a lot of blood and he blames his current situation on the whirl of emotions inside of him. “You know what? Just forget it. I’m not even cold haha, I actually hate cuddling so don’t—“ 

The vampire sighs and wraps his arms around Kyungsoo’s waist, pulling him flush against his chest so quickly it makes Kyungsoo’s head spin. Their noses are almost touching and Kyungsoo goes a little cross eyed trying to look at Jongin’s eyes. 

“Oh. Okay.” He mumbles, feeling heat spread everywhere in his body. “Uhm.” 

Jongin stares at him, shifting a little so they’re not as glued together anymore but still touching almost everywhere. He tangles their legs together and everything’s just so soft and warm and Kyungsoo feels like he’s melting into a puddle of useless goo. “Better?” Jongin whispers, his breath warm on Kyungsoo’s lips and he thinks the irony taste of blood should put him off but it has the complete opposite effect. 

Like, a few weeks ago even the thought of his blood running through Jongin’s system would’ve made him want to throw up, but he feels a strange sense of peace knowing that _his_ blood managed to give Jongin so much strength. 

Kyungsoo nods, moving his ice cold hands to Jongin’s back. “Can I?” He tugs a little on Jongin’s shirt. Jongin licks his lips and gives him a nod, so Kyungsoo lifts his shirt and sneaks his hands inside, placing his cold palms on Jongin’s warm skin. 

Jongin flinches a bit, but he presses back against the touch and Kyungsoo sighs at the warmth engulfing him. It’s a common misconception, that vampires are cold; they’re like humans but that their biology’s enhanced and that they need more blood than their own bodies can produce to fuel their cells with the power they need to keep them going. That’s why they have to drink blood in the first place.

See? Kyungsoo didn’t sleep through _all_ vampire education classes.

“How are you feeling?” Jongin asks, his thumb rubbing small circles into his back. “You’re not going to pass out, are you?”  


“I don’t think so.” Kyungsoo mumbles. They stay silent for a while, Kyungsoo trying not to be embarrassed once he remembers that Jongin can probably hear how damn fast his heart is beating. He just hopes Jongin doesn’t read too much into it. 

Jongin reaches one of his hands up to cradle Kyungsoo’s cheek, carefully tilting his head back to inspect the skin on his neck. 

“Does it look bad?” Kyungsoo wants to know. Jongin brushes his thumb over his neck and Kyungsoo shudders, fingers digging into his back when he remembers how embarrassingly aroused he was when Jongin was drinking from him.

“It’s okay.” Jongin says. “It’ll be healed by tomorrow.” 

“Oh. That’s good.” Kyungsoo swallows nervously when Jongin removes his hand, their eyes locking together. “Jongin?” 

“Yeah?” 

“How—“ Kyungsoo’s eyes slip closed and he has to force himself to open them again before he falls asleep. “How do you feel about me?” 

Jongin looks at him almost a little anxiously, his throat working. “Do you really want me to answer that?” 

Kyungsoo nods and gives up on fighting his exhaustion. He closes his eyes and tilts his head until Jongin’s lips are grazing his forehead. The position is way too intimate and if Kyungsoo wasn’t so out of it, he’d definitely be freaking out. But right now it’s comfortable and warm and safe. 

“When a vampire claims someone, they care more about that person’s wellbeing than their own.” Jongin says, his voice rumbling and vibrating in Kyungsoo’s chest. “So even though I felt like I was— uhm, well, _dying_ in the past few weeks, I didn’t really care because I knew you weren’t eating, or sleeping. It drove me insane because I couldn’t really do anything about it. It felt like I was failing as your ma— your guardian.” 

Kyungsoo notices and tenses in his arms, trying to ignore how his heart does an excited jump in his chest. “You didn’t fail. I was giving you a hard time, others would’ve… I don’t know. Probably killed me or something.” He remembers what Jongin said. _You’re the weirdest person I’ve ever met in my life! If I had a choice you’d be the last fucking person on this planet I’d chose to be my mate!_ A part of him suddenly wants to go home and hide. He has no idea what’s happening to him. He hasn’t felt this self conscious since his last breakup, which was two yers ago. But suddenly he starts to feel like he’s not good enough for the other boy. Not by a long shot. “I know I can be a pain in the ass.” 

Jongin tightens his arms around him and Kyungsoo squeezes his eyes shut when he feels the boy smile against his skin. “Good thing I have high pain tolerance then.” 

Kyungsoo grins and instinctively tilts his head until his nose brushes Jongin’s throat, wanting to be closer to him, which is so _confusing_. Jongin smells heavenly right there, dark and earthy and addicting. Kyungsoo wants to wrap himself up in his scent and just sleep in it for the rest of his life. 

So he asks. “Does the claim affect me?” 

Jongin doesn’t answer right away. “It shouldn’t. Not until you accept it.” 

That’s not the answer Kyungsoo wanted to hear. So why is he feeling this way? 

“Accept it how?”

Jongin shifts, his thigh accidentally slipping between Kyungsoo’s; he pulls it back immediately when Kyungsoo’s breath catches in his throat. “Usually, I would be courting you right now. I would— I would try to prove you that I’d make a good mate.”

Kyungsoo nods his head, nibbling on his lower lip. “So it’s the same as with werewolves.”

Jongin smiles softly. “Should I be offended that you know more about werewolves than my kind?”

“I’m interested in supernatural stuff as long as it doesn’t affect me.” Kyungsoo replies, grinning up at Jongin whose eyes turn almost affectionate at Kyungsoo’s gesture. “So, while you court me I decide wether I want to accept you or not?”

“Yeah, basically.” 

“That’s… way more respectful than I thought.”

Jongin chuckles. “Did you think we just force ourselves on you like assholes?”

“Can you blame be? I heard stories.”

Jongin’s grip tightens on him. “We’re not all like that.”

The silence that follows makes Kyungsoo regret his words. 

“What happens if I don’t accept?” Kyungsoo struggles a bit with the question, scared of hearing anything that might mean harm for Jongin. 

“I’d survive.” Jongin assures him, sensing Kyungsoo’s sudden fear. “It would be hard, but I’d find a new mate. The bond would be a lot weaker though, and I’d need much more blood more often.”

“That doesn’t sound good.” Kyungsoo whispers, already feeling bad for anyone who ends up as the second choice of a vampire. More than that, the thought of Jongin finding another mate doesn’t sit well with him at all. It makes his heart hurt and Kyungsoo quickly pushes the thought far away.

“It’s not.” Jongin shrugs. “Luckily it doesn’t happen often.” 

Kyungsoo starts thinking, he starts thinking so hard a crease appears between his eyebrows and it feels like he’s going to pop a vein soon. 

“Hey.” Jongin nudges him gently. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” Kyungsoo gasps, releasing a breath he’d been holding in. 

“Don’t even think about accepting me if you don’t want it.” Jongin looks at him sternly, arms tightening a little around Kyungsoo’s waist. “That’s the last thing I want. I want you to be safe, and happy. Even if that’s without me. Nothing else matters to me.” 

Oh, god. How is Kyungsoo supposed not to get weak, hearing words like that? Jongin sounds so sincere and Kyungsoo is starting to believe that the universe really screwed up with them; Jongin deserve someone much better than Kyungsoo. 

But Kyungsoo is too selfish. “I think I might want you.” 

Jongin stares at him, seemingly unmoving. “What?”

“I want you to court me.” Kyungsoo forces the words out anxiously, feeling his face heat up. “Is that okay?”

“Are you seriously asking me if that’s okay?” Jongin asks his eyes so _intense_ with relief apparent on his face and in the way his body relaxes into the bed. 

“I don’t know.” Kyungsoo nibbles on his lip, Jongin’s eyes flickering to his mouth, making the tension between them grow that much thicker. “Maybe you want to change your mind.”

“Definitely not.” There’s something so heartwarming about how sure Jongin sounds with his answer.

“Okay.” Kyungsoo mumbles. “Is there— like a deadline? Do I have to give you an answer in, like, a week or what—“

“No.” Jongin snickers softly and butterflies tickle Kyungsoo’s chest at the gentle sound, the meaningful look in his eyes. “You’ll know when it’s time.”

“What.” Kyungsoo frowns. “Don’t go all mysterious on me. I need clear and straight answers from you right now—“

“Go to sleep, Kyungsoo.” Jongin mumbles, pulling them closer together, and normally Kyungsoo wouldn’t have any of that but he’s tired more than anything, and Jongin is so warm and so soft and smells like heaven, so he sighs and shuts his mouth. 

For now.

 

 

Kyungsoo panics when he opens his eyes to the unfamiliar sight of another bedroom the next morning. He whips around frantically, freaking out even more when he sees another person lying next to him in the bed. 

At least until he remembers everything that happened before he fell asleep. His hand shoots up to the spot on his neck Jongin bit, fingering at the skin only to find that it feels completely smooth. 

A wound like that takes at least a week or two to heal but Jongin’s supernatural saliva seemingly made it disappear overnight. 

Kyungsoo sags back against the bed, taking a few deep breaths. He feels okay. 

He feels better than just okay.

For the first time in the past few weeks, Kyungsoo feels well rested and there’s not one single source of pain in his body. 

He gingerly reaches his hand out to poke Jongin’s shoulder and the boy stirs immediately, his head slowly moving to look over his shoulder. 

“Kyungsoo?” He asks, his voice raspy and low from sleep and Kyungsoo shudders a little at the one. 

“Hi.” 

Jongin hums and turns around and Kyungsoo’s eyes widen when the other doesn’t stop moving after that, leaning into Kyungsoo’s space with a dark gaze. 

Oh, yes, Jongin is definitely giving him bedroom eyes now what the actual fuck.

Before Kyungsoo can will his morning wood to go away, Jongin’s face is pressed into Kyungsoo’s neck, his upper body draped over Kyungsoo’s. 

“It’s healed.” Jongin whispers against his neck, against the spot his teeth had sunken into hours ago, and and Kyungsoo wants to die. 

He’s only human. He’s very much gay and Jongin is annoyingly hot even though Kyungsoo likes to convince himself otherwise all the time.

And also, Kyungsoo wasn’t lying yesterday night; he _loves_ cuddling. 

Morning cuddles are the best. 

His ex-boyfriends never were that much into it so Kyungsoo always kind of felt deprived, but Jongin held him yesterday night and something tells Kyungsoo that he would be an _amazing_ cuddler if Kyungsoo gave him his okay. 

All he has to do is ask and Jongin would probably do it but that thought doesn’t sit too well with Kyungsoo. The last thing he wants to do is to take advantage of Jongin’s claim on him when he doesn’t have intentions of actually accepting it.

“Jongin.” Kyungsoo reluctantly mumbles, feeling his skin flush with Jongin’s warm breath tickling the sensitive parts of his neck. He may have agreed to the whole courting thing but he didn’t agree to _this—_ “Can you not.” 

Jongin freezes against him before he moves and then he’s gone as fast as he leaned in, taking all the heavenly warmth with him and Kyungsoo almost whines in protest. 

His features are collected when he looks at Kyungsoo, from a safe distance now. “Sorry.” 

Kyungsoo relaxes at the meek tone of Jongin’s voice. “It’s fine.” 

And then he _actually_ looks at Jongin and can’t help but be completely awed by his appearance. The dark circles are gone, his skin looks so much healthier and his lips have color again and all in all, Jongin just seems to be glowing. 

He looks so healthy and awake and Kyungsoo thinks he shouldn’t feel so happy about that. 

“How do you feel?” Kyungsoo asks when Jongin doesn’t do anything but stare at him.

“Good.” Jongin says. “I’m back to normal.” 

“Okay.” Kyungsoo licks his lips. “I’m glad.” 

They look at each other for a few tense seconds, the air around them almost crackling, and Kyungsoo’s sure they’re both thinking about the conversation they had before they fell asleep.

“What made you change your mind?” Jongin then asks, his voice so raspy it sends tiny vibrations to Kyungsoo’s chest. “You’re so stubborn. I thought you’d hold your ground forever.” 

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because you nearly died?” Kyungsoo huffs, shuddering when he remembers how Jongin looked yesterday. Screw his stupid morals; he doesn’t ever want to see Jongin look like that again. 

“I wouldn’t have died.” 

“You might not believe it but I do actually have a heart.” Kyungsoo shrugs. “It was selfish of me. I’m not the only one who didn’t have a say in this even though I’m definitely coming out on the short end.”

“You are.” Jongin agrees, sinking into his pillow some more. “I’m sorry about that.” 

Kyungsoo stares at him, sees the sincerity in his dark eyes, and finds it incredibly hard to keep his heart hidden in his chest. 

He hasn’t allowed it to peek at Jongin yet because something in him _knows_ that he’d be completely screwed if he did. 

He’s known to fall for hot looking guys who don’t even care half as much about him as he cares about them and all of them started off being nice guys like Jongin. It’s too much of a hassle, all the heartbreak and the self-doubt that follows each breakup. 

_Stop being so over the top with everything you do… Don’t wear that sweater, people will laugh at you… Don’t be so loud… Let me speak when we get there… You’re too immature… Grow up… Stop moving around… Kyungsoo I don’t care about that stupid anime… Can you be normal for once?_

“Kyungsoo?” Jongin’s voice luckily pulls him out of that dark place in his mind before Kyungsoo can go down that rabbit hole again.

“Hm?”

“How are you feeling?” He asks. “You lost quite a lot of blood yesterday. I should’ve brought you something to eat before bed—“

“No!” Kyungsoo hurriedly says, sitting up in the bed. “No, I’m fine. I promise. Look, I’m not even dizzy.” 

Jongin mirrors his position, his wary eyes quickly flickering over Kyungsoo’s form to check for any signs of discomfort. “Okay. But let me know if you don’t feel so good.”  


“Will do.” Kyungsoo smiles at him before he hops out of bed. “I should go home. I have some stuff to do for school.” He goes to grab his bag but stops himself, a sudden thought hitting him. “Unless you need me to… uh, do you need more, you know…”

Jongin quickly shakes his head when he understands what Kyungsoo means. He stands up and Kyungsoo tries to look at anything but him because Jongin is so tall and handsome and Kyungsoo doesn’t need to become so aware of how the piercings in his ears catch the morning sun. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine for a few weeks. I won’t drink from you unless I’m out of energy.”

Kyungsoo frowns at that. “But don’t wait until you look like you did yesterday.”

“Okay.” Jongin nods his head but Kyungsoo has a feeling that Jongin actually might wait that long, just to spare Kyungsoo from going through that again. “I’ll drive you home.” 

“No, don’t, I’ll just take the bus—“

But Jongin is already moving to his wardrobe, pulling a hoodie out and running a hand through his disheveled hair. “Aren’t you getting up?” He asks when he notices Kyungsoo sitting in the middle of his bed and staring at him like a clueless kid. 

He hastily jumps out of the bed and feels proud that he doesn’t trip in front of Jongin. 

“Can’t you just teleport me?” Kyungsoo asks when they make their way downstairs. 

“I could, but you’re still weakened from yesterday night.” Jongin says. “I don’t want you passing out.” 

Kyungsoo nods his head, nibbling on his lower lip as he tries to ignore how fuzzy Jongin’s concern for his well-being makes him feel.

The whole family is sitting around the table downstairs, chatting with each other and eating breakfast with what sounds like Frank Sinatra playing from an unknown source. That alone makes Kyungsoo’s heart beat faster and Jongin seems to notice it too because he shoots Kyungsoo a mildly judging look, who only shrugs and grins at him.

Jongin stares, looking a little dumbfounded, and he kind of smiles at Kyungsoo in a way that makes his chest feel like it’s filled with tiny bubbles that burst one after the other. 

“Oh, you’re awake!” Jongin’s mom exclaims, making them break eye contact. Kyungsoo flushes and focuses his gaze on the individuals sitting there; Mingyu who shoots him a bright smile, Jongin’s sister who smiles politely, Sehun who only scowls before continuing shovelling food in his mouth. Jongin’s father looks between them, his eyes pausing on Kyungsoo and they both seem to be thinking about their conversation yesterday night.

Kyungsoo doesn’t know what comes over him, but he gives the man a firm, reassuring smile and Jongin’s father looks relieved with the answer.

He knows he made his mind up extremely fast, but he doesn’t regret it.

After Jongin drank from him yesterday night, after he stopped drinking so quickly just for Kyungsoo’s sake even though he definitely wanted - _needed_ \- more blood, something must’ve changed within him.

“Come eat breakfast.” Jongin’s dad says. 

Kyungsoo’s stomach grumbles right on cue and he cringes. He’s hungry alright and no matter how nice Jongin’s parents are, he doesn’t know if he can deal with any of this right now. There will be awkward questions and forced smiles and death glares from Sehun and Kyungsoo would just rather not.

The only problem is that he sucks at saying no, and he’s already starting to sweat, trying to come with an answer—

“Kyungsoo’s got an appointment so we have to leave now.” Jongin ends up saying and Kyungsoo could kiss him—

Haha. Not _actually_ kiss him, _stupid Kyungsoo_. He blushes furiously and wants to slap some sense into him, especially when Jongin shoots him a confused look, like he picked up on Kyungsoo’s inner turmoil. 

“Oh, that’s a shame.” Jongin’s mother says. “I’ll pack you something for the road then.” 

The car ride home is spent mostly in silence with a radio station playing the current top ten charts. Kyungsoo nibbles on the egg rolls Jongin’s mom gave him before they left. 

Actually, nibbling is not the appropriate term for what Kyungsoo is currently doing in the passenger seat; he seems to have turned into a pig overnight with how fast he’s swallowing the food down. 

Jongin glances at him while he has his mouth filled with food, and smiles, and Kyungsoo hides his blush by staring out of the window.

Kyungsoo would love nothing more but storm out of the car once Jongin pulls into the parking lot of his apartment complex, but he wasn’t lying when when he said that he was going to change. He wants to make an effort. 

“Thanks for driving me.” He mumbles, thumb fiddling with the various tiny buttons on the door handle. 

“You’re welcome.” Jongin says, and doesn’t say anything else until Kyungsoo finally lifts his head to meet his eyes. It kind of knocks the breath out of him, how Jongin is looking at him, and Kyungsoo honestly just doesn’t know what to do with his sudden change of heart. 

“Are you sure the claim doesn’t affect me yet?” Kyungsoo asks, voice shaking a bit, because he’s about to have a major freakout and it’s not going to be pretty. 

Jongin tilts his head like a confused puppy, but nothing about him is cute like a puppy, not with his intense eyes or the stupid, stupid piercings dangling in from his earlobes. Kyungsoo wants to reach out and fiddle with them. “Yeah. I told you, not unless I mark you.”

“Okay. Okay I understand.” Kyungsoo nods his head, eyes moving around the car for a moment before locking with Jongin’s again.

There’s something extremely intimate about looking someone straight in the eye without talking, especially when that someone is Kim Jongin, wearing a shadow of a cocky smile on his handsome face, like he knows exactly what he’s doing to Kyungsoo.

“I should go.” Kyungsoo blurts.

“Okay.” Jongin smiles, eyes never leaving Kyungsoo’s.

“Are you…” Kyungsoo starts, looking around nervously while clutching his backpack against his chest. “Are you going to pick me up from school again?” 

Jongin looks at him, his eyes suddenly so gentle Kyungsoo’s heart hiccups in his chest in glee,and asks “Do you want me to?”  


Kyungsoo swallows, feels the air prickle between them and shrugs. “If you want to.” 

“You know I do.” Jongin answers without hesitation. 

“Okay.” Kyungsoo stares at him again and Jongin stares back until Kyungsoo jumps into action and scrambles to get out of Jongin’s ridiculously expensive car. 

He sprints to his apartment, not even caring that Jongin is watching him and probably re-considering his life choices. Maybe Jongin will finally realize that Kyungsoo is not quite right in the head and will regret claiming this weird ass human and all his problems will be solved.

 

 

 

 

“What the fuck.” 

“What’s up?” Kyungsoo flatly asks, sitting down on the other side of the table where Jongdae is sitting. 

“You’re bald.” Jongdae states. 

“No shit.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, taking his laptop out of his bag along with his notebook and other things he’ll need to survive the next couple of hours in the library. 

“Why are you bald?”

“Stop saying I’m bald. It’s a buzzcut.”

“Why?” Jongdae repeats, still looking like someone smacked him upside the head. 

“It’s breezy. You should try it sometime.”

“No thanks. I’d rather not look like an egg.” Jongdae finally starts to laugh. He throws his head back, and cackles, making several other heads in the library snap in their direction in annoyance. 

Kyungsoo ignores his best friends’ amusement over the current state of his hair and focuses on the essay that’s due tonight. He’s almost done but it needs some editing. 

Cutting his hair this short was kind of a rash decision he made after sprinting into his apartment yesterday. He was panicking over Jongin and the effect he has on him, and when Kyungsoo panics, he usually does something regrettable. 

“Hey” Jongdae nudges his foot with his own under the table once he’s calmed down. “People saw Kim Mingyu pick you up yesterday night. What’s up with that?” 

Kyungsoo lifts his eyes from his laptop screen, trailing them through the library to find that a bunch of people are glancing at him, like they know more than Kyungsoo does. How he ended up going to the most gossip loving university of the country will forever be a miracle to him. 

“He took me to see Jongin.” Kyungsoo mumbles quietly.

“Oh.” Jongdae raises his eyebrows in surprise. “And then what happened?” 

“Nothing.” Kyungsoo shrugs. “I guess we get along now. He’s not as bad as I thought he was.I let him drink my blood and he’s picking me up today.” 

“That’s great, Soo!” Jongdae smiles, nodding his head. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to keep up that act forever, Jongin’s a nice dude and I really think—“ Jongdae stops talking, his eyebrows drawing together dramatically while his mouth forms a perfect O. “What the fuck!” 

“Can you stop being a freaking dinosaur before we get kicked out?” 

“You let him drink your blood?!” Jongdae whisper shouts. “Why would you mention that so off handedly? Kyungsoo, that’s a big deal! Especially for you!”

“It’s not a big deal. Who cares. It’s what was supposed to happen so, whatever.” Kyungsoo laughs it off, watching his best friend narrow his eyes at him in suspicion. “I said, whatever.” 

“He didn’t force you to do it, did he?” Jongdae asks, concerned eyes flickering over Kyungsoo’s form as if to check for possible signs of harm. 

“What? No.” Kyungsoo huffs, shaking his head. “Of course not. He was nice. Like always.” 

“He was nice?”

“Did I stutter? Yes. He was nice.” _So nice I freaking shaved my head because of him._

Right after he jerked himself off to thoughts of Jongin sucking on his neck, drinking his blood—

“So what’s stopping you?”

“What do you mean?” Kyungsoo clears his throat.

“What’s stopping you from accepting his claim? Or, you know, climbing him like a tree?” Jongdae looks mildly disgusted with his choice of words even though he was basically quoting one of Kyungsoo’s many phrases. 

Kyungsoo squirms on his chair, hoping his cheeks don’t give away how warm he feels when he thinks about how last night, he literally had a hand shoved into his boxers with images of Jongin in his head.. “He’s not my type.”

“What do you mean he’s not your type? Hot guys is your type!” Jongdae rolls his eyes. “Jongin easily falls into that category.” 

“He’s a vampire.”

“Now you’re just being a dick.” Jongdae snaps at him and Kyungsoo pouts, knowing very well that it wasn’t a nice thing to say, especially since Jongdae is with Yeun now, and she’s a vampire also. “You know what I think? You’re just scared.”

“Oh, really? Do enlighten me, then.”

“You haven’t been on a date since Hyunsik—“ 

“Okay, just— stop, okay? This has nothing to do with Hyunsik.” 

Oh, it has everything to do with Hyunsik. 

“Soo…”

“Just drop it, please.” Kyungsoo sighs, running his hand through his hair, only to remember that he has no hair left. Why the hell did he think this was a good idea? “I know you want to help but I’m not a kid. I’ll figure it out.”

“I know that. I’m sorry.” Jongdae mumbles, nibbling on his lower lip. “Just don’t lead him on. A claim and this whole courting process isn’t… it’s nothing to joke around with.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t give him an answer and Jongdae finally gets the message when Kyungsoo puts his earbuds in, effectively blocking him out. 

 

 

Once Kyungsoo has successfully finished his essay and e-mailed it to his teacher, he leaves a chocolate bar with Jongdae to cheer him up since his best friend has still some work left to do. 

He has a message from Jongin, saying that he’s waiting for him outside, so Kyungsoo hurries as to not make him wait longer than necessary. 

That’s how he ends up bumping into no one else but his ex-boyfriend, Kyungsoo’s phone along with his bundle of keys falling to the ground from the impact. 

“Ah, sorry dude, didn’t see you there.” Hyunsik says, leaning down to pick them up for Kyungsoo. Once he’s standing again, eyes moving to Kyungsoo’s face, they widen almost a little comically. “Kyungsoo!” 

Kyungsoo takes his belonging from him and puts them inside the pockets of his red coat. “Thanks.”

“It’s been a while.” Hyunsik chuckles, eyes trailing over Kyungsoo’s form. It’s not a look you’d give someone you’re checking out. He looks rather amused. It’s a look of pity, almost. “If I didn’t know it better I’d say you’ve been avoiding me.” 

Kyungsoo gives him a bright smile. He’s not going to let himself be treated like a freaking child by his stupid ex… Not anymore. “Ah, who’s got time for that? It’s a big school, that’s all.” 

Hyunsik hums, tilting his head. “So, I’ve been hearing some things.”

Oh, boy. Here we go. “You have?”

“People say Kim hasn’t claimed you.” Hyunsik goes on, eyes trailing over the exposed skin on Kyungsoo’s body as if to look for a sign of said claim. “So it’s true, then?” 

Kyungsoo’s eyes flicker to the obvious mark on Hyunsik’s neck, one which his ex-boyfriend chose to enhance even more by wearing a sweater that exposes his collarbones. He’s showing it off like some sort of trophy. “That’s none of your business.” He snaps. He was going to stay civil, he promised himself he’d behave like an adult when he ran into Hyunsik again, but that guy’s making it really hard. 

“You’re right.” Hyunsik shakes his head. “It’s not. I’m just looking out for you.”

Kyungsoo shudders, trying his best not to scowl at the words. “I can take care of myself.”  


“We both know you can’t.” Hyunsik laughs. “I’m just kidding, Soo.” 

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo forces a smile. Hyunsik’s always been like that. Saying hurtful things and adding a _just kidding_ after, as if that made it all okay.

Hyunsik’s eyes move to the top of Kyungsoo’s head. “Your hair… you still don’t know what works for you, do you?” He makes it sound like a joke, and ignoring their past together it might’ve been an acceptable one, but it’s not. 

It reels Kyungsoo back into that time he was together with Hyunsik, all those moments his boyfriend would roll his eyes at his appearance or tell him to get changed before they went out. 

“And you still don’t know how to be a decent human being, do you?” Kyungsoo can’t stop himself from saying, trying not let the hurt show on his face. He hates this, how much this person can still affect him. 

“Right, forgot. You always need to have the last word.” Hyunsik chuckles. “No wonder Kim doesn’t want you.” 

Kyungsoo feels the words like a slap to the face. There he goes, adding insult to injury, making sure he leaves Kyungsoo as hurt and self doubting as possible. 

He pushes his shoulder into Hyunsik’s roughly as he walks past him, hitting his forehead on the door in his haste to get out. He can hear his blood rushing through his ears, fingers shaking and thoughts all jumbled up. 

This is exactly why he was avoiding Hyunsik like the plague. He knew this was going to happen. He always used to make Kyungsoo feel like _nothing,_ like a joke, and it hasn’t changed.

He spots Jongin’s car right away and climbs inside without really lifting his head, buckling up and leaning into the comfortable seat with a sigh. 

“Hey.” Jongin hesitantly says, which forces Kyungsoo to at least look at him. He’s wearing casual clothes today, tight jeans, comfy looking sweater that Kyungsoo knows is Gucci and costs at least half a year of Kyungsoo’s income. He looks a little tired but a part of Kyungsoo is relieved to find that Jongin looks okay otherwise. 

“Hi.” 

Jongin narrows his eyes, trailing them over Kyungsoo’s form as if to check for any injuries, looking even more confused when he finds nothing. “Is everything okay?” 

“Everything is peachy.” Kyungsoo answers more harshly than he intended to. This isn’t Jongin’s fault at all, but just as always, Hyunsik’s managed to screw up everything with nothing but a couple of perfectly aimed words of his. 

He looks like he’s about to ask further, but he seems to think better of it, twisting the key to turn the engine on and pull out of the school’s parking lot without a word. 

Jongin silently turns the heater for Kyungsoo’s seat on after sensing his discomfort, the tiny shivers running through his body, and some of Kyungsoo’s stress melts away as the heat starts to warm up his back and shoulders. 

Kyungsoo jumps in his seat when Jongin turns the volume of the speakers up, the initial shock fading away to leave room for surprise when he recognizes the tunes. He smiles despite everything that’s happened, and it takes him a few moments to understand that Jongin is playing _Fly me to the Moon_ for Kyungsoo.

To cheer him up. 

And that makes Kyungsoo flush like a prepubescent boy. He also tears up a bit but no one needs to know that. He’s a sucker for people remembering things he’s mentioned fleetingly because only a few actually make an effort to listen to everything that Kyungsoo has to say, which is a lot, and he can admit that not all of it always makes sense, but it needs to get out anyway.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jongin asks, eyes flickering between Kyungsoo and the road ahead of them. So far, he hasn’t even _looked_ at Kyungsoo’s hair, let alone made a snarky remark about it like everyone else has today.

_I shaved my hair hoping you’d be turned off! Acknowledge it damnit!_

Kyungsoo turns to look at Jongin’s profile, heart hiccupping in his chest when their eyes meet for a fleeting second. “I don’t know.” 

Jongin frowns. “What happened?” 

“I ran into someone I didn’t want to see.” Kyungsoo shrugs, nibbling on his lower lip, willing the negative thoughts and feelings away that always consume him whenever the subject of his ex comes up. 

“I see.” Jongin hums. “An ex?”

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo hums, turning to look out of the window at the street lights and neon signs of the few shops that are still open. 

“Bad breakup?” 

Kyungsoo smiles, shaking his head. “More like I got dumped through a Facebook status for everyone to see.”

Jongin’s eyebrows knit together, eyes lingering on Kyungsoo for longer than is probably safe given the fact that he’s supposed to be driving. “Are you serious?” 

“He was a douchebag.” Kyungsoo offers, not wanting to elaborate. 

“He sounds like one.” Jongin scoffs and if Kyungsoo didn’t know him better, he’d be a little frightened by the obvious anger etched into his features. “Why did he dump you?”

“He said being with me was like raising a hyperactive child.” Kyungsoo says. “And something about me dressing like a traffic light.”

Jongin doesn’t say anything else. Instead, he starts pressing his foot down on the gas pedal a little to hard, because they’re definitely speeding at this point and Kyungsoo doesn’t want to die yet, not when there’s still an entire section of TV-shows on Netflix he hasn’t watched yet.

“Jongin.” He reaches out and grips his arm. “Slow down.”

And for a moment it doesn’t look like Jongin even heard him, but some of the tension leaves his shoulders, and he slows the car down enough for Kyungsoo to relax back into his seat and release an anxious breath. 

“Do you want to go somewhere?” Jongin suddenly asks, and he still seems really tense and a part of Kyungsoo wishes he hadn’t said anything.

“Like where?”

“The cinema?”

Kyungsoo blinks at Jongin, not having expected the offer, but a smile instantly takes over his features, and it makes Jongin relax and smile back at him.

 

 

They decide to watch Coco, and the cinema is noticeably less packed on school and working days so they don’t end up having crappy seats right in front of the screen.

Jongin pays for the tickets even though Kyungsoo almost fights him not to, and Jongin pays for their drinks, and for the popcorn, and by the time they find their seats and sit down, Kyungsoo realizes that this actually feels a lot like a date.

It is.

It _is_ a date.

Holy crap.

So is this already part of the courting?

“Are you courting me right now?” Kyungsoo blurts, the popcorn pressed against his chest like it’s going to protect him from this ridiculously hot vampire next to him. “Am I being courted?”

Jongin turns to look at him, eyes taking in Kyungsoo’s terrified posture, and something like hurt flashes in his eyes. “Uh, I mean, technically? But that’s not why I took you here.”

“Then why?”

“You were in a bad mood.” Jongin mumbles. “I wanted to cheer you up.” 

Kyungsoo’s heart does a little happy dance in his chest.

“Oh.” Kyungsoo licks his lips and gives him a bright smile. “Thank you. It’s working.” 

“Really?” Jongin asks, looking so hopeful it makes Kyungsoo’s heart ache. Kyungsoo finds some of his anxiety fade, a smile tugging on his lips. 

Jongin is actually… kind of adorable.

He looks like a runway model, he could basically kill anyone with nothing but a flick of his wrist, but here he is, nervous because of freaking Do Kyungsoo. 

Jongin is still looking at him and Kyungsoo is just not used to so much undivided attention but he’s practically preening from it. 

“The movie started.” He whispers, biting down a bright smile when Jongin blushes and turns to face the screen.

The movie is great, and Kyungsoo can’t hold himself back from whispering remarks to Jongin through all of it, expressing his opinions and commenting on the amazing colors and basically just getting way too into it. 

He bites down on his tongue more often that he usually would, expecting Jongin to tell him to shut up, that he can’t focus on the movie because of him, but Jongin listens to him patiently, looks amused at Kyungsoo’s excitement more than anything, and it just feels so nice not to be scolded for once. 

Kyungsoo pulls the armrest back between them at one point, not liking how it’s there like a barrier between them, and when he leans into Jongin a little more, he can almost _feel_ the tension prickling between them. He loves the feeling, this exciting attraction that lingers in the air when you’re in the stages of getting to know someone.

He’s not sure if he was just too stuck-up and too adamant on hating Jongin to notice it before, but it’s definitely there, stronger than he’s ever felt with another person. 

Jongin’s eyes finally _do_ move to Kyungsoo’s new haircut at one point and Kyungsoo just sighs, running his fingers over his buzzcut. “You can say it.”

“Say what?”

“It makes my head look like an egg, doesn’t it?”

Jongin frowns and starts chuckling at the end. “No. I think it looks cute.”

“Cute?” 

“It’s just hair.” Jongin shrugs, biting down on his lip. “If the person’s cute, a haircut’s not gonna change that.

“Oh my god.” Kyungsoo feels like he’s going to explode, his head as red as a ripe tomato, and Jongin chuckles at his reaction.

“Did I say something wrong?”  


“Stop talking please.”

“But why?” 

“I just— You just—“ 

“I just what?” Suddenly Jongin is right there, his face too close, and it’s like Kyungsoo’s okay to the courting thing made Jongin’s restraints vanish completely, because he’s practically _oozing_ charm right now. “Kyungsoo… Your heart’s racing.” 

“Shut up.” Kyungsoo utters pathetically and Jongin just grins, finally taking pity on him before he pulls away to lean back in his seat again. 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t know what he expected when he agreed on Jongin courting him. At first, Jongin doesn’t really behave any different around him.

He picks Kyungsoo up from school every day, he brings Kyungsoo food when he’s hungry or takes him out for dinner. It’s never anything too fancy because Kyungsoo warns him not to spend any money on him no matter how rich Jongin’s family is. 

Sometimes they have study sessions at either Kyungsoo’s or Jongin’s place which mostly end up with both of them either falling asleep or curled up on the bed with a random movie running in the background.

Like tonight, when they’re sitting on Kyungsoo’s ugly yellow couch with a warm blanket draped over them. Kyungsoo doesn’t know why he’s so cold, but he can’t seem to warm up, and he also doesn’t have the guts to ask Jongin to cuddle him.

You’d think they grew more comfortable around each other, more touches, maybe even a kiss here and there, now that Jongin is courting him, but no.

Absolutely nothing.

If it wasn’t for the intense looks Jongin keeps giving him, the fleeting touches when he hands Kyungsoo something, the slightly possessive hands on Kyungsoo’s waist when some random vampire dares to stare at Kyungsoo for longer than appropriate, Kyungsoo honestly wouldn’t think that Jongin was interested in him at all.

“Why are you shivering?” Jongin asks, looking at him with confusion in his eyes.

“Why do people shiver, Jongin?” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. 

“Are you cold?” 

“Yes!” 

Jongin looks like he’s having an internal battle and Kyungsoo wants to scream at him to just hug Kyungsoo. He needs affection, preferably from Jongin. “Do you want me to get another blanket?” 

Kyungsoo almost whimpers in frustration and shakes his head. “No. Forget it.”

“Maybe you wouldn’t be cold if you didn’t cut _holes_ into your sweater, you know?” Jongin shrugs, poking a finger into a huge tear in the bed of Kyungsoo’s elbow, grinning innocently when Kyungsoo sends him a glare. 

“My sweater has character, unlike your clothes.” Jongin is wearing black from head to toe, but it’s all designer clothes, and Kyungsoo kind of wants to beat him with a pillow because he could buy the same outfit for thirty bucks in the mall. 

Kyungsoo’s mood kind of drops again. He knows Jongin didn’t mean it seriously, he never says anything mean about Kyungsoo’s fashion choices, but it’s just a touchy subject for him.

“Hey, I was just joking.” Jongin mumbles, sensing his gloomy mood. “I don’t care what you wear, you know that.” 

“I know you don’t.” Kyungsoo gives him a small smile.

Jongin shifts a bit closer, sighing. “Is this about your stupid ex again?” When Kyungsoo doesn’t answer, Jongin crosses the remaining space between them, their thighs pressing together under the blanket and the little innocent touch alone is enough to make Kyungsoo’s heart jump around in excitement. “He was an asshole, Kyungsoo. You don’t date someone for their clothes, I don’t get why he gave you so much shit for it. Someone should teach his ignorant ass a lesson.” 

Kyungsoo smiles, not doubting Jongin’s words for a second even though he’s mostly against violence. “I draw a lot of attention wherever I go. You can’t blame him. You saw it yourself, today.”  


There was this old man in a convenience store they were at earlier today. Kyungsoo had a beret on his head and was wearing ripped jeans with the current orange sweater he’s got on. He cut holes into it because he was bored, but it kind of shows his nipples when he isn’t careful, which, okay, isn’t ideal but who cares? 

But anyway, the man gave him dirty looks for it. At least until Jongin glared at him, a warning growl rumbling in his chest that made the man turn around and flee. 

Jongin pokes the inside of his cheek with his tongue, a cute habit he has when he’s thinking about something. “It’s just not like you to care what others think. You’re confident, so why does it bother you so much? They’re just clothes, Kyungsoo. This is a free country. Wear whatever the hell you want. People don’t like what’s different, that’s why they stare but who cares? I’ll rip anyone apart that has something bad to say about you.” 

Kyungsoo huffs out a laugh, his cheeks heating up at Jongin’s words. He knows Jongin was mostly joking, but he also knows that he was serious about that last part. He’s proven it over and over, and it always manages to make his heart swell with affection for the boy. Obviously Jongin wouldn’t use violence unless it was absolutely necessary; it’s just the meaning behind it, that he’s ready to stand up for Kyungsoo if needed.

“So you like my clothes?” Kyungsoo smirks, because he knows Jongin can’t say yes without lying. 

“Yeah, I do. I like them if they make you feel good.” Jongin says, a smile tugging on his lips when he hears how Kyungsoo’s heart starts beating faster. “Did I say something right?” 

“Don’t tease me if you’re not going to do anything.” Kyungsoo mumbles, pushing at Jongin’s shoulder, who chuckles and catches Kyungsoo’s hand. The touch makes Kyungsoo’s skin prickle, especially when Jongin doesn’t let go, instead bringing their joined hands down to rest them on his lap. 

“What do you want me to do?” Jongin asks, leaning a little closer to peer into Kyungsoo’s face. “I’m not supposed to do anything until you accept my claim.”

“Who even set those stupid roles?” Kyungsoo asks, pouting. “And rules are meant to be broken.” 

Jongin smiles, gentle and affectionate, and Kyungsoo melts a little bit more, losing himself in Jongin’s dark gaze. “I respect them too much to break them. And we both signed the contract, Kyungsoo.” 

Kyungsoo sighs, knowing he’s not getting anywhere. “Jongin?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I see your fangs?”

Jongin gives him a surprised look. “My fangs?”  


“Mhm.” 

He expects to meet resistance again, but Jongin parts his lips and extends his fangs, his canines growing longer right before Kyungsoo’s eyes.

“Why is that so hot?” Kyungsoo whispers, staring at the pearly fangs sticking out from behind Jongin’s upper lip. 

Jongin looks so smug as well and Kyungsoo kind of wants to take his words back. 

“Can I touch them?”

This time, Jongin doesn’t give in as easily. He looks a bit hesitant but he nods his head anyway, watching Kyungsoo’s every move like a hawk. 

“Careful.” Jongin says, the words a little slurred because of his fangs. 

Kyungsoo nods, moving closer to his Guardian and folding his legs on the couch. He carefully lifts his hand, his thumb brushing Jongin’s soft lips before he touches his teeth. He knows they’re just going to feel like normal teeth; he’s just very curious as to how sharp they are, because when Jongin bit Kyungsoo, his teeth sank into his skin like it was nothing but butter, no resistance at all. 

He gets why Jongin told him to be careful; the tips of his fangs are _sharp._ He sucks in a breath and releases the pressure on the pad of his thumb before he can prick himself. 

“You okay?” Jongin asks immediately and Kyungsoo quickly nods his head before Jongin starts being guarded again. 

“They’re so pretty.” Kyungsoo says, smiling up at Jongin, who slowly retracts his fangs, a faint smile tugging on his lips. 

“They don’t scare you?”

“Why would they?” Kyungsoo asks. “They’re part of you.”

Jongin releases a deep breath, his eyes heavy on Kyungsoo. He looks so timid all of a sudden, Kyungsoo’s words reducing him to nothing but a shy college boy, and Kyungsoo wants to coo at him but he knows Jongin wouldn’t really appreciate the treatment. 

Kyungsoo cups Jongin’s cheek, trailing his fingers over Jongin’s smooth skin, down to his neck before he settles his thumb over Jongin’s pulse. He feels like he’s done this before but he can’t actually tell when or why. Jongin lets him do it, but his eyes never leave Kyungsoo, and both of them feel how the air grows heavier around them, especially when Kyungsoo puts pressure on Jongin’s pulse. 

His scent grows heavier again and Kyungsoo almost moans because he can nearly taste it at the back of his throat, heavy and sweet. “You smell so good.” He whispers, leaning closer until their faces are only a breath apart.

“You said that before.” Jongin smiles, but his chest is heaving and Kyungsoo is glad to see that he isn’t the only one affected by this. “And I told you it’s Gucci.”

“It’s not.” Kyungsoo sighs, moving even closer until he’s almost in Jongin’s lap but Jongin stops him, his hands holding Kyungsoo’s hip in place firmly. “It gets… It gets heavier when I press down. Here.” Kyungsoo does it again, closing his eyes when Jongin’s scent hits him like a gentle wave. 

The golden light in Jongin’s eyes flickers alive, bright and beautiful, and his hands seem to try and push Kyungsoo away but pull him closer at the same time. “It’s original purpose was to calm our prey down so it’s easier to kill. Like a sedative, in a way.”

“And now?”

“It just makes us smell good.” Jongin smiles, hands moving to hold the small of Kyungsoo’s back. “It’s used to comfort your mate, mostly, when there’s danger.”

Kyungsoo stores that information away for the future. Just— Just in case. 

“You’re sensitive there.” Kyungsoo mumbles. 

Jongin nods. “Yeah, I am.”

Kyungsoo presses down again with his thumb, moving it in circles on the faint knot he can feel underneath, and a growl rumbles in Jongin’s chest, his fingers curling into Kyungsoo’s jumper. 

“Does that feel good?”

“Y-Yeah.” Jongin sighs and Kyungsoo feels heat pool in his stomach, feeling a sort of attraction towards Jongin he’s never felt with anyone else before. The tension is so thick he’s sure he could touch it in the air if he tried. He kind of wants to straddle Jongin’s lap, press up against him and hope that he will put his hands on Kyungsoo but he’s not an idiot, so he stays put.

“Is that why your eyes turned red last time I touched you there?”

“You remember that?”

“Kind of?” Kyungsoo grins weakly, knowing how annoying he can get when he’s drunk. “I remember that part, at least.”

“People usually don’t touch vampires there.” Jongin says. “We’re most vulnerable on our necks, that area is… it’s usually reserved for mates.” 

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen and he feels himself blush heavily, thumb pressing down even harder on accident. Jongin sucks in a breath, his chest rumbling. “I’m sorry!”

Before the situation gets out of hand, Jongin reaches up and curls his fingers around Kyungsoo’s wrist, moving it away from his neck. His chest is heaving and his eyes are blown and everything about his current state is so attractive Kyungsoo feels himself twitch embarrassingly in his pants.

If Jongin can smell the flash of arousal, he doesn’t mention it, simply brings Kyungsoo’s wrist to his lips and kisses his pulse. “I’m sorry.” He repeats.

“No.” Kyungsoo shakes his head, his heart still thumping wildly from Jongin’s sweet gesture. “I shouldn’t have went that far. I’ll… I’ll behave from now on.”

Jongin smiles and leans in to nuzzle his nose into Kyungsoo’s hair, and everything is soft and warm, new and exciting. “It’s okay, don’t worry.”

It’s the closest thing to a cuddle Kyungsoo is going to get, so he makes sure to make it last as long as possible, closing his eyes and enjoying the way Jongin snuggles up against him.

 

 

 

 

“Why does your brother hate me?” 

It’s a couple days later; they’re sitting on Jongin’s bed with his laptop perched on Jongin’s lap, judging the crap out of a Hollywood movie adaption from one of Kyungsoo’s favorite mangas. Kyungsoo is squeezed between Jongin and the wall, feeling a little sullen because Jongin still doesn’t touch him if it’s not necessary. 

That, and they ran into Sehun on their way upstairs before and Sehun barely spared him a glance as he walked past them. 

“What do you mean?” Jongin asks. “Mingyu loves you.”

“I’m not talking about Mingyu.” Kyungsoo says. “Sehun looks like he wants me dead.”

Jongin pauses the movie and turns to look at Kyungsoo properly. “He still does that?” 

“Don’t say you didn’t notice.” Kyungsoo sighs, his lip automatically forming a pout.

Jongin’s face falls at that. “Aww, hey no.” He places the laptop on the bed and leans closer to Kyungsoo. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t pout like that. It breaks my heart.” Jongin mumbles, and Kyungsoo wants to laugh at how confused and awkward Jongin looks, like he’s not used to those feelings. 

“Then tell me why Sehun hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you.” Jongin sighs, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. “He’s just… really protective over his family.” 

“But how does that relate to me?” Kyungsoo asks, trying to make sense of the situation. “I’m not posing a threat to your family—“ He stops himself there, his eyes raking over Jongin’s face as he puts the puzzle pieces together. His heart drops a bit when he remembers how Jongin almost _died_ a few weeks back, mainly because of Kyungsoo’s stubbornness. “Oh.”

Jongin glances at him carefully, shrugging. “He should know better than put the blame on you. It was mostly my fault anyway—“

“No, he’s right.” Kyungsoo mumbles, fiddling with his fingers. “You almost died because of me. I wouldn’t forgive myself either.”

“Stop that.” Jongin suddenly seems to forget all about the restrictions he put up for himself because he reaches out to cup Kyungsoo’s cheek. “There’s no point in thinking about that now.”

“But I am really sorry for how I treated you.” Kyungsoo looks up at him, hoping Jongin can see how much he means it. “I was an asshole. You didn’t deserve it.”

”It’s okay, Kyungsoo. Don’t be sorry.” Jongin assures him and he’s just way too good for Kyungsoo, isn’t he?

Kyungsoo remains silent until Jongin’s other hand comes up to cup his other cheek as well, forcing him to look up and into Jongin’s eyes. “I’m not crying.” Kyungsoo’s lower lip wobbles and a gentle smile spreads on Jongin’s face.

“Kyungsoo… Kyungsoo.” Jongin chuckles softly, pulling him closer carefully until Kyungsoo is leaning against him. They’re both so awkward, they can’t even seem to hug each other without turning into shy teenagers. “You’re so cute. I’ll talk to Sehun. He’ll come around, don’t worry too much about it, okay?” 

Kyungsoo nods his head, closing his eyes as he hesitatingly buries his face in Jongin’s warm neck. He smells so _good_ and Kyungsoo once again feels all the stress and worries fade like smoke flying out of an open window. “I like this.” 

“Cuddling?” Jongin asks, his hand rubbing up and down Kyungsoo’s spine, soothing and comforting. 

Kyungsoo nods, fingers mapping the ridges of Jongin’s ribs on his broad back, feeling the warmth of his skin through the soft fabric. “I really... really like you.” 

Jongin stares at him as a blush spreads on the tips of his ears and Kyungsoo just grins, his heart thumping wildly.

”And I like having you close.” Kyungsoo adds.

Jongin swallows and shifts against Kyungsoo, turning his head and nuzzles his nose into Kyungsoo’s hair softly. “Okay. Noted.”

“Noted for when I’ve accepted your claim?” Kyungsoo asks, not really wanting to hear the answer because he already knows it.

“Yeah.”

“I don’t like those rules.” Kyungsoo sighs, trying to calm his excited heart down because nothing’s going to happen and it’s kind of starting to hurt, getting his hopes up like that when he knows they can’t do anything. 

“I know.” Jongin chuckles, his chest rumbling and sending shivers down Kyungsoo’s spine. Jongin’s embrace is so warm and secure and Kyungsoo simply burrows himself deeper against his body, Jongin automatically tightening his arms around Kyungsoo’s back. “I don’t really like them either, right now.” 

Kyungsoo hides a giddy smile against Jongin’s neck. 

 

 

 

 

And even though it looks like things are going well for him and Jongin, Kyungsoo gets reminded that they’re living in a world with monsters that have bad intentions soon enough.

It’s raining outside that Thursday night and Kyungsoo had to stay at school for longer than usual due to a meeting he had with some other students he’s working on a group project with. 

Jongin told him he’d be waiting outside as always so Kyungsoo huddles some more into his jacket, pulls the beanie on his head over his ears to protect himself against the cold before he leaves the library and head to the parking lot where Jongin usually waits for him. 

The parking lot is empty, and Kyungsoo squints his eyes against the rain when he can’t spot Jongin’s car. He might be stuck in traffic; Kyungsoo doesn’t expect him to be always there early when Kyungsoo usually ends up being late whenever they meet up.

He’s about to walk back inside so he doesn’t get drenched from the rain while he’s waiting for Jongin when he sees someone waving at him from afar. 

The person walks closer, holding an umbrella, and it’s when they move the umbrella out of the way that Kyungsoo realizes it’s Jongin. 

“Come here.” Jongin chuckles at the stunned expression on Kyungsoo’s face. “You’re all drenched.” 

Kyungsoo moves towards him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Did you walk?” 

Jongin moves the umbrella so it mostly covers Kyungsoo and nods. “The car needed some things done so I won’t have it back until next week.” 

Kyungsoo doesn’t know a lot about cars, but he knows they usually give you a replacement until you get your own car back. He doesn’t really care so he just shrugs his shoulders and huddles closer to Jongin. 

“Ugh, I hate rain.” Kyungsoo mumbles. “Can’t you just teleport us home? It’s cold.”

Jongin chuckles. “Why? Rain’s romantic.”

“What’s so romantic about getting wet?” Kyungsoo grumbles, pulling a face when he feels the wetness soak through his shoes. Jongin doesn’t say anything, his hand guiding Kyungsoo on his back. Kyungsoo shivers against the cold, frowning when he notices Jongin taking a route they usually don’t take. “What are you doing? This’ll take us a lot longer.” 

“I thought you might be hungry?” Jongin says, pouting at him. “Aren’t you?”

Kyungsoo sighs when they turn into an alley, into the area he was attacked in twice already. He isn’t scared with Jongin next to him, he knows Jongin would protect him against anything, but he still feels uneasy. He looks up at him to tell him as much and feels his breath catch in his throat.

Jongin’s ear is completely void of his usual earrings. It’s not just that; he doesn’t even have holes there, and Kyungsoo knows for a fact that Jongin’s piercings are real and not just clip-on jewellery. 

“Everything okay?” Jongin asks, a sweet smile on his face. 

Kyungsoo looks away hastily, panic rising in his chest. There has to be a logical explanation. Maybe he’s just tired, maybe his eyes are just playing tricks on him. He glances at Jongin again, but the piercings aren’t there.

They’re not there. 

What the fuck.

“Kyungsoo?” Jongin stops walking. They’re in the middle of the alley now. They’re alone. It’s raining, it’s cold, and something is very, very wrong. “You’re scaring me. Are you alright?” 

Kyungsoo looks at him desperately, only now realizing that he doesn’t even feel right. His heart isn’t beating this fast because he’s excited to be around Jongin. He’s _scared_. 

“C-Can I use your phone?” Kyungsoo asks, not knowing what else he’s supposed to do.

“For what?”

“I w-want to take a selfie with you.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Jongin smiles. “I don’t have it with me. Can’t we use yours?”

Lie.

Jongin texted Kyungsoo only a few minutes ago, he said he was on his way, he said—

“What’s going on?” Kyungsoo breathes, fear making his knees shake.

“What do you mean?” 

“You’re not Jongin.” Kyungsoo states, holding his breath. 

Jongin blinks at him, his head tilted almost curiously, and he starts smiling, and it makes Kyungsoo feel sick. “Of course I am. I’m Jongin. I’m your Guardian.” 

“Fuck you.” Kyungsoo steps back, out of the cover of the umbrella and immediately getting drenched from the rain. “What are you?” 

“Kyungsoo, get back under the umbrella. You’re talking nonsense, you’re just—“ Jongin stops talking, his concerned features morphing into an almost robotic expression within a single second. He clicks his tongue and throws the umbrella to the ground, moving his neck from side to side and cracking his bones. “You’re too intelligent for your own good, Do Kyungsoo.”

“Oh shit.” Kyungsoo whispers, stumbling back, his backpack hitting the dirty wall behind him. “What the fuck are you?!” 

“I believe your kind calls me a shapeshifter. You can probably tell why, can’t you?” The creature that looks like Jongin asks, smiling even wider.

“He’ll kill you.” Kyungsoo spits, closing his mouth against the rain that’s running down his face. “Jongin, he’s— he’s not going to let you get away with this.”

“Oh, I know.” The creature pouts his lips. “He’ll be devastated to see his precious little human dead. That only makes this more fun, don’t you think?”

“What do you want from me?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“The Kim’s killed someone very dear to me a few years ago.” He says, stepping closer until he has Kyungsoo pressed against the wall. “Since I can’t take one of them down, I’ll take you instead.” 

Kyungsoo blinks, and suddenly there’s a knife pressing into the skin of his neck, right underneath his Adam’s apple. He can’t even swallow without the blade cutting into his skin. 

He’s going to die.

There’s no way he can escape death three times. There’s just no way.

“Any last words?” He asks, and it’s so surreal, looking into Jongin’s face he usually find so much comfort in, and it’s about to kill him now. 

“Fuck you.” Kyungsoo struggles to say. “I bet you’re really fucking ugly in your natural form.”

He doesn’t know what the fuck he’s saying anymore. 

Those are going to be his last words. He’s such a fool, even when he’s about to die.

At least he stayed true to himself all the way to the end.

_I didn’t even get to kiss Jongin. I should’ve kissed him._

The blade digs into his skin, burning hot, and Kyungsoo chokes around an inhale, but suddenly the pressure is gone and a shadow runs straight into Jongin, sending him flying halfway through the alley. 

It’s Jongin. _His_ Jongin. Of course it’s him, he wouldn’t let Kyungsoo get hurt.

Kyungsoo gasps for air, curling his fingers around his throat only to find his palm coming away bloody. He tries to see what’s going on, but it’s too dark and the rain blocks his sight like a curtain. Jongin and fake Jongin are moving so fast they’re just blurry figures to Kyungsoo’s eyes.

There’s a lot of snarling, hissed words, and Kyungsoo knows he should stay back but he’s stupid and he’s worried for Jongin’s safety, so he hurries towards them instead. 

They both look the same. The creature is wearing the same clothes as his Jongin is and Kyungsoo panics. He can’t tell them apart, he can’t look for the piercings because they’re too fast.

“Kyungsoo! Stay back!” One of them shouts and Kyungsoo’s head snaps towards him, his eyes catching sight of his earrings, and his heart starts beating faster.

“Jongin—“

Jongin gets distracted because of him, and the shapeshifter punches him straight in his chest, strong enough to hurl Jongin through the air and to the ground a few feet away from Kyungsoo.

“Jongin!” Kyungsoo whimpers when he sees Jongin’s head knock into the ground with a crack. He rushes towards him, but suddenly Jongin is up on his feet again and he reaches his hand out as if to stop him from getting closer, his palm hitting Kyungsoo’s chest and he uses so much force Kyungsoo gets knocked against the brick wall several feet behind him.

It hurts like a bitch and he hits the back of his head, his vision blurring for a second. He catches sight of Jongin’s shocked face for a second before Jongin gets attacked by the creature again, both of them stumbling into the dumpsters and stack of boxes placed against the wall behind them.

Kyungsoo sinks to the ground, groaning in pain and trying to stop the world from spinning. He looks up and sees one of the Jongins on the other one’s back, arms wrapped around his head and twisting it with a sickening crack. He decaptiates him and throws the head to the ground like it’s a football, the lifeless body falling to the ground with a heavy thump. Kyungsoo feels like throwing up, because that’s Jongin’s head, that’s Jongin—

“Kyungsoo.” Jongin is suddenly in front of him and Kyungsoo frantically looks at his ears, whimpering in relief when he finds all of Jongin’s earrings in their place. “Kyungsoo, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry—“

“Are you okay?” Kyungsoo asks, hands coming up to cup Jongin’s face. “Jongin, shit, that was so scary, I thought I was gonna—“

Jongin leans forward, bracing himself against the wall and shielding Kyungsoo from the rain. They’re both drenched, it doesn’t matter. “I wouldn’t let you die.” 

Kyungsoo lets his head fall back, exhausted now that the adrenaline is fading. “Am I some sort of magnet for supernatural creatures? Why does this keep happening to me?” 

“My clan’s got bad blood with a lot of those bastards.” Jongin explains. “They’re too weak to attack us. By attacking you, they’re attacking me. They’re fucking morons if they think I won’t kill anyone who touches you.” 

Kyungsoo blinks at him and reaches out to curl his fingers into Jongin’s soaked sweater. “I want to go home.” 

Jongin nods his head, and Kyungsoo feels worried at the dim look in his eyes. Jongin takes most of his weight while they walk to his car, his face hardening even more when he sees the blood on Kyungsoo’s throat.

“It’s okay.” Kyungsoo tries to assure him but Jongin just shakes his head and looks away, completely ignoring Kyungsoo’s existence the entire ride home. 

He helps Kyungsoo out of the car once they arrive home, his eyes set on their feet with a tense crease between his eyebrows. 

“I can walk on my own.” Kyungsoo says, feeling his heart waver when Jongin lets go of him with a firm nod, still avoiding Kyungsoo’s eyes. 

Kyungsoo changes into dry clothes once they’re inside his apartment and offers Jongin some as well, but he declines, saying he’s fine, so Kyungsoo gives him towels to dry off. It’s awfully silent save for the rain falling outside and Kyungsoo is doing everything to catch Jongin’s eyes, just so he knows what’s going on and why the boy is acting so cold all of a sudden.

They were doing fine, Kyungsoo thought— he’s been thinking about Jongin almost all the time during the past few weeks. He’s been thinking about holding his hand with butterflies in his stomach and he’s been waiting for the right time to tell Jongin about those feelings.

But with him acting like this now, Kyungsoo’s courage starts to crumble and he’s starting to think that he was silly to believe that Jongin would want him like that if it wasn’t for the claim. 

Kyungsoo is sitting on the couch, dressed in sweatpants and a sweater, and he’s holding a pillow in his lap, fiddling with it’s edges so he doesn’t have to focus on Jongin standing on the other side of the room, closest to the exist. 

Like he wants to leave.

“Let me look at your throat.” Jongin says, tearing Kyungsoo out of his thoughts. He’s standing in front of Kyungsoo before he has time to blink, using his supernatural powers to speed up his movements. 

“It’s fine.”  


“It’s still bleeding.” Jongin’s voice cracks a little while he squats down in front of Kyungsoo, eyes only on the cut in Kyungsoo’s skin.

Kyungsoo looks at him, boring holes into Jongin’s eyelids, feeling anger and sadness boil inside of him. “Jongin.”

“It will heal faster if I clean it.” Jongin acts like he didn’t hear him. By cleaning he means licking the wound clean, because even his saliva has superpowers. His hand comes up to cradle Kyungsoo’s neck but Kyungsoo slaps it away before he can, which _finally_ makes Jongin look at him.

“Why are you ignoring me?” Kyungsoo asks, willing himself not to be so sensitive about this. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Of course not.” Jongin sighs, shaking his head.

“Then why are you pulling this angsty Edward Cullen crap on me?” Kyungsoo wants to know. “I’m sorry I got myself into trouble again.” 

Jongin’s eyes flicker over Kyungsoo’s face, the corners of his lips drooping. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I suck at protecting you.” 

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows knit together in the middle. “What are you talking about? You saved my life tonight, and two times before that, too.”

“But you always end up getting hurt.” Jongin mutters, his eyes flashing golden before he hides them by turning his head to the side. “I threw you against a wall tonight, Kyungsoo. I hurt you.”

“Jongin, what—“ Kyungsoo frowns, eyes frantically moving over the boy’s profile. “Stop it. You didn’t hurt me. I know you wouldn’t hurt me on purpose.”  


“You looked scared of me.” Jongin goes on. “I don’t— I’ve been doing my best to prove to you that I’m not some sort of monster but I… I could’ve broken your spine, I could’ve given you a concussion—“

“But nothing happened.” Kyungsoo interrupts, scooting closer to the edge of the couch. Jongin’s eyes are frantic as he watches him approach and Kyungsoo feels his heart ache when he realizes that Jongin is fighting the urge to run away from him. 

Like, fuck… Jongin wants to leave and Kyungsoo doesn’t know how to handle it. It’s been so long since he’s had someone new in his life who accepted him with all his weird qualities, someone his heart comes alive when they’re around. It hasn’t happened since Hyunsik and Kyungsoo knows how vulnerable he makes himself by opening his heart to Jongin but it just… it feels right.

Jongin’s eyes grow concerned when he senses Kyungsoo’s distressed. “Kyungsoo.”

“You’re not a monster.” Kyungsoo shakes his head and realizes he hit the nail right on the head when pain flashes in Jongin’s golden eyes. He’s such an idiot. He called Jongin a monster out loud a few weeks back and wants to smack himself for it now. He didn’t realize this was such a touchy subject for Jongin. “I’m an idiot for throwing that word at you back then. I was— I was stubborn and prejudiced but you’ve kind of changed my perception of an entire race. You…” Kyungsoo shrugs, feeling small under Jongin’s gaze. “You treat me better than most _human_ people in my life. I… I love that about you.” 

Kyungsoo loves a lot of things about Jongin, like how he’s scared of tiny cats, how awkward he sometimes is with the things he says or expressing his feelings, how protective he is over Kyungsoo, how ready he is to defend him and his strange fashion choices, but he’s not going to say that to him right now. Maybe some other time.

Jongin doesn’t look entirely convinced but his eyes do soften a little, and he shifts so he’s leaning into Kyungsoo’s space. The tension grows again, Kyungsoo’s heart thundering against his ribs when he curls his fingers into the cushion on his lap so he doesn’t reach out to touch Jongin and scare him away. 

Jongin’s eyes scan Kyungsoo’s face like he’s memorizing everything and the air crackles when their gazes lock again. Kyungsoo has never felt attraction this strong towards anyone in his life before, it’s like all his nerves are trembling with tension in Jongin’s presence like sunflowers seeking out the sun. 

“Can I clean this?” Jongin asks, voice low as he brings a hand up to touch Kyungsoo’s neck. “The blood— it’s distracting.”

Kyungsoo gives a faint nod, unfolding his legs so Jongin can kneel between them for better access. He knows Jongin can hear how ridiculously fast his heart is beating; one single look into each other’s eyes is prove of that. Jongin looks cautious, taken aback by Kyungsoo’s physical reaction to the proximity. 

“You can drink from me if you want.” Kyungsoo finds himself mumbling while Jongin gently holds his head and tilts it back to expose his throat and the cut that runs through his skin; it’s such a vulnerable position, Kyungsoo’s neck bared like that in front of a vampire.

But he trusts Jongin, that’s all that matters. 

“No. Not today.” Jongin says, licking his lips as he lowers his mouth to Kyungsoo’s skin. Goosebumps prickle on his skin when he feels Jongin’s rough yet gentle hands touching him like that.

“It’s been almost a month.” Kyungsoo swallows. “I know you want to.”

“You’re too weak.” Jongin’s warm breath fans over Kyungsoo’s skin, making him shudder and close his eyes. “I can wait a little longer.” 

“Jongin—“ Kyungsoo is about to protest, but the words die in his throat when Jongin places a soft kiss on his throat. He holds his breath, suddenly very aware of all the places they’re touching.

The insides of his thighs pressing against Jongin’s hips, Jongin’s palms on either side of his neck, his lips on his skin and then his tongue, darting out to run over the cut, warm and wet and causing goosebumps on Kyungsoo’s skin. 

Kyungsoo brings his hands up to rest them on Jongin’s shoulders, resisting the urge to pull the boy closer while he’s just innocently trying to help Kyungsoo, even if he’s currently licking Kyungsoo’s neck. 

Something like a muffled groan escapes Jongin’s throat and he pulls back, breathing heavily against Kyungsoo’s neck, hands leaving Kyungsoo’s body to curl into the couch cushions left and right of him. 

Kyungsoo gulps heavily, the stinging pain from the cut gone and replaced by a pleasant numbing sensation from Jongin’s saliva. “Are you okay?” Kyungsoo manages to ask, growing impatient when he receives no answer and can’t see Jongin’s eyes because he’s hiding his face.

He cups Jongin’s cheek, pulling him away from his hiding spot on his neck and forcing the boy to look at him. It takes him a few seconds but Jongin finally looks up and Kyungsoo can’t say he’s surprised to find them glowing red. 

“I told you to drink.” Kyungsoo mumbles. “It’s okay. I want you to.” 

But Jongin shakes his head and Kyungsoo’s heart flutters when he leans his cheek into Kyungsoo’s touch. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a second.”

“Why are you holding back?” Kyungsoo whispers, unable to keep the frustration and hurt from his question. “Is it my blood? Does it— Does it not taste good?”

Jongin smiles, his gaze turning so affectionate Kyungsoo feels like melting. “You don’t actually believe that, do you?”

Kyungsoo shrugs, pouting, and Jongin sighs, leaning in until their foreheads are pressed together. “You taste better than anything I’ve ever hard before.”

And that probably didn’t mean to sound so erotic but it has that effect on Kyungsoo. Makes his skin prickle and stomach drop, heat spreading in his lower regions so that he has to press his thighs together - which he can’t, because Jongin’s hips are right there. 

Jongin picks up on it, his red eyes darkening and knuckles turning a little white from how hard he’s gripping the cushions. “Kyungsoo… Your scent. I, uhm, should go—“

“No!” Kyungsoo shakes his head, wrapping his legs around Jongin’s waist as if that would stop him from leaving. “Don’t leave. Please, I’m sorry, I just— I can’t control it.”

Jongin stops moving away, his eyes heavy and intense on Kyungsoo’s face. “I can’t either.”

“Can’t what?”

“Control myself.” Jongin says, one hand hesitatingly moving to Kyungsoo’s waist. “You make it really hard.” 

Kyungsoo carefully curls his arms around Jongin’s neck, his chest starting to heave with how fast his heart is racing. “I don’t want you to control yourself. I don’t know how much clearer I can make that I want you.” 

Jongin flushes and he looks so adorably conflicted Kyungsoo feels like he’s going to pass out. “It’s just… so sudden. So my courting, it worked?”  


Kyungsoo chuckles nervously, his body trembling with excitement. “ _Yes_ it worked. But I’ve felt this way for longer than that. Couldn’t you tell?” 

“I didn’t want to get my hopes up.” Jongin says. “We didn’t exactly hit it off right away.” 

“I know. And I’m sorry for being such a brat.” Kyungsoo mumbles. “I understand if you’ve changed your mind in the meantime, but if not, I would like it if you kissed me now.” 

Jongin smiles, bright and beautiful. “A claim is a claim, Kyungsoo. I still want you, very much.”

“Okay. Great!” Kyungsoo smiles, relieved and extremely giddy. “Because I think I might explode if you don’t kiss me anytime soon and it really isn’t—“ 

Kyungsoo sucks in a startled breath when Jongin silences him with a brush of his lips. The kiss is barely there it’s that soft and fleeting, and Kyungsoo’s mind is reeling when their lips break apart as Jongin pulls away very slowly.

They both seem to be holding their breaths and Kyungsoo only reluctantly opens his eyes, staring at Jongin with wide eyes. 

“Satisfied?” Jongin asks, trying to look unbothered but the sudden stray red swirls among his golden eyes give him away.

Kyungsoo shakes his head, fingers sliding over Jongin’s nape into his hair. “Not really.” 

Jongin smiles, a blush slowly creeping up his neck and it’s the most beautiful thing Kyungsoo has seen aside from the person right in front of him. “I told you I’m not supposed to. Not until—“

“I accept your claim.” Kyungsoo finishes for him. 

Jongin’s mouth falls open, his eyes suddenly very alert. “W-Was that you finishing my sentence or—“

“No, Jongin.” Kyungsoo rushes out. “I meant I accept your claim. This is me accepting your claim. “ He says but Jongin still stares at him like he grew a second head. “Is that not how I’m supposed to do it? Do I have to get down on my knees or something? Is this like a human proposal or what—“

Jongin slaps a hand over his mouth. “Why on earth do you talk so much?” 

Kyungsoo pouts against the palm on his lips, shrugging his shoulders in embarrassment. He’s nervous, okay? This feels like he’s accepting a proposal even though he knows it’s far from it, at least in vampire culture.

Jongin slowly retracts his hand. “Kyungsoo, are you sure?”

“ _Yes_.” Kyungsoo nods his head firmly so that Jongin can stop doubting him. “I know you don’t believe me because half of the things I say contradict with my actions, and I’m sorry I’m so confusing but I mean it, Jongin. I’m serious so could you kindly attach your lips to mine and—“

And again, Kyungsoo’s breath gets knocked out of him when Jongin presses their lips together in a far more satisfying kiss. Kyungsoo gets pressed up against the back of the couch for a moment, Jongin’s arms now wrapped around Kyungsoo’s waist as he kisses him. 

Kyungsoo’s fingers curl into Jongin’s hair and he pushes forward, shuddering at every savouring touch and slide of their lips. He pushes himself off the couch and slides into Jongin’s lap, the boy not even wavering at the sudden action; he simply holds Kyungsoo’s closer with one arm and braces himself on the floor with his other hand. Kyungsoo sighs and parts his lips, feeling like his chest might just burst when Jongin’s tongue runs over his own, arms secure and warm and possessive around Kyungsoo in a very shy, Jongin way.

They kiss until Kyungsoo feels dizzy and tiny gasps escape his lips whenever they part long enough. Jongin kisses him over and over, until everything is warm and fuzzy, and he stops before it gets out of hand. 

But he must’ve forgotten that this is Do Kyungsoo in his arms. 

“Drink. Please.” Kyungsoo breathes against Jongin’s lips, feeling the boy shudder violently beneath him at hearing those words.

“Kyungsoo.” Jongin whispers, his expression a mixture between pain and suppressed _hunger_. “Don’t do this. I know how you feel about sharing your blood. I’m fine, I promise.” He presses a tender kiss to the corner of Kyungsoo’s mouth and the affectionate gesture only makes Kyungsoo’s determination grow stronger. 

Kyungsoo smiles at him, his hands cupping Jongin’s cheeks and guiding his mouth to his neck. “I’m okay with it. I _want_ you to. We’re— We’re going to be mates, right? We help each other. You saved me tonight, so let me help you, too.” 

Jongin’s eyes darken at the mention of mates, his fangs appearing like he can’t control it, and it’s so _hot_ when Jongin quickly retracts them again _._ “I’ll make it quick. I’d never hurt you, okay? I’ll stop when—“

“When I ask you to. I know. I trust you.” 

Jongin nods, pressing a few kisses against Kyungsoo’s pulse. His arms are wrapped around Kyungsoo securely now, their chests pressed together, both their heartbeats thudding against the other’s chest in an extremely calming and intimate way. 

Kyungsoo holds his breath when Jongin’s fangs pierce his skin and his head falls back when the initial wave of pain is replaced by pleasure. It’s just as strange and overwhelming as the first time. 

He moves to hide his face in Jongin’s shoulder, muffling a moan there. The pleasure is creeping up on him, building more and more each time Jongin sucks and before long, Kyungsoo starts to ache between his legs. “Jongin… Jongin—“

Jongin pulls away, panting against Kyungsoo skin. He has his bottom lip pressed against the bite mark to stop the blood flow. “You okay?” He rasps, sounding absolutely wrecked and Kyungsoo shudders, whimpering as he presses his hips down into Jongin’s own. 

“Sorry.” Kyungsoo tries to ignore the throbbing in his boxers; this isn’t about him. This is about Jongin so it would be nice if he could stop being a horny teenager for a second. “Sorry, I’m fine, keep going.”

Jongin nods and attaches his mouth to the same spot again, going back to drinking Kyungsoo’s blood and Kyungsoo just can’t— he can’t, okay? He’s so hard and Jongin’s mouth sucking on his skin like that, Jongin’s dick straining against the back of Kyungsoo’s thighs, none of it is helping. Kyungsoo rolls his hips down, shuddering when his erection presses against Jongin’s hard thigh.

He’s humping Jongin’s leg. 

He thinks he should be embarrassed but he can’t find it in himself to care, and Jongin doesn’t seem to either, because he presses up against Kyungsoo’s movements to help him out. Kyungsoo whimpers into Jongin’s shoulder, his breath stuttering at the friction against his aching cock. 

Jongin pulls away and seals the wound by lapping over it a few times, his chest heaving against Kyungsoo’s impossibly fast. He starts pressing kisses all over Kyungsoo’s neck, finding a spot somewhere under Kyungsoo’s ear where he starts sucking a hickey into the skin. One of his hands moves to Kyungsoo’s thigh, and then up until he’s grabbing Kyungsoo’s butt and pulling him down against him, pressing his own hips up to meet him.

“Jongin, please, touch me, please just—“ He babbles, rolling his hips faster.

“What do you want, baby?” Jongin asks against his skin, his voice rough. Kyungsoo moans weakly at the pet name, moving his hips slower but pressing down harder into Jongin’s thigh because it’s _almost_ enough but not really. 

Kyungsoo blindly reaches for Jongin’s hand, pulling it between his legs and pressing Jongin’s palm down over his bulge.

“Okay, I got you.” Jongin pulls back and mouths against his lips. He kneads Kyungsoo through the material of his clothes for a few seconds, making Kyungsoo shudder and moan against his lips brokenly. “You’re all flushed, so cute, Kyungsoo.” 

“Don’t call me cute when you have your hand on my dick.” Kyungsoo says, making them both smile, but Kyungsoo’s smile vanishes instantly when Jongin slips his hand inside his pants and curls his fingers around Kyungsoo’s dick like an expert, pumping him with a tight grip. “Oh my god… Oh _fuck_ …”

“Feel good, baby?” Jongin asks, his eyes completely red and pupils blown, his biceps flexing every time he pumps his hand or flicks his wrist in a way that has Kyungsoo seeing stars. He looks so hot Kyungsoo thinks he could come from the sight alone. 

And with anyone else, Kyungsoo would be embarrassed at how sensitive he is because this is just a hand job, but this is Jongin and _everything_ feels so much better with him.

Kyungsoo is so busy letting himself be pleasured, preoccupied with rolling his hips into Jongin’s hand and blabbering absolute nonsense he almost forgets about Jongin, who must be in actual pain by now, constricted by his tight jeans. 

“C-Can I touch you, too?” He asks, mindlessly kissing Jongin’s plump limps. He can taste his own blood on them, and he thinks it should turn him off, but it seems to only intensify the pleasure he’s feeling.

“You don’t have to.” Jongin whispers, kissing him back almost tenderly despite his hand that’s currently rubbing Kyungsoo’s head, making Kyungsoo whimper and curl around him like all the sensations are too much. 

“I want to.”

“Okay.” Jongin nods, licking his lips when Kyungsoo moves his hand to his jeans. He fiddles with the button, unzipping them quickly and slipping his hand inside to curl his hand around Jongin’s erection. 

Jongin’s hips roll into his palm and his breath stutters, eyes fluttering closed. “Yeah, baby, like that.” He whispers roughly when Kyungsoo starts to work his hand over him.

Jongin is refraining from making too much noise and it only spurs Kyungsoo on, moving his hand faster, tightening his fist around Jongin until a broken moan slips past Jongin’s lips. 

“That’s it.” Kyungsoo smiles happily. “Good boy. Moan for me.”

“Oh my god.” Jongin groans, hiding his face. “Please stop talking.” 

Jongin removes his hand a moment later, pulling Kyungsoo out of his pants and doing the same for him. He easily pulls Kyungsoo’s hips closer into his lap with the arm he’s got wrapped around Kyungsoo’s waist and curls his hand around the both of them. 

“That’s so hot.” Kyungsoo breathes, nearly fainting at the sight in front of him. “Your hands are so big. So big, and your dick too, wow, like _really_ big—“

Jongin chuckles breathlessly, leaning up to silence Kyungsoo by kissing him. 

They don’t last that long. Kyungsoo curls his own hand around Jongin’s helping him work it over both their erections, and there’s just something so hot about the way Jongin twitches and throbs against him, the broken sounds he feeds into Kyungsoo’s slack mouth. 

Kyungsoo comes without warning, his whole body freezing with a stuttered moan when he spills over both their hands. Jongin follows only seconds later, teeth digging into Kyungsoo’s bottom lip and hips stuttering slowly while he strokes them both until they’re too sensitive. 

They’re both panting when Jongin nudges the tips of their noses together once they have both calmed down, foreheads touching, his clean palm rubbing gentle circles into the small of Kyungsoo’s back. “You talk so much, Kyungsoo.” 

Kyungsoo just hums against Jongin’s soft lips, not even slightly offended by the statement, not when he feels so blissed out and happy. “I’ll try to talk less for you.” 

Jongin’s grip on him tightens, a disapproving look on his face. “Hey, no. That’s not what I mean. It’s one of the reasons why I’m so damn fond of you.”

“Fond, huh?”

“Yeah.” Jongin says, taking a calming breath just as a beautiful smile spreads on his face. 

The look he gives Kyungsoo is just that; undeniably fond.

 

 

 

 

Jongdae promptly chokes on his banana milk when Kyungsoo waltzes up to him a few days later, his sleeve riding up to reveal a very prominent and unmistakable mark on the inside of his wrist.

“Mark? On your wrist! You— Mated? You’re mated!” His best friend stutters, seemingly having turned into a caveman given the random words flying out of his mouth.

“Oh.” Kyungsoo looks down at his wrist and smiles, shrugging. “Yup. I’m mated.”  


“Right.” Jongdae laughs a little hysterically. “No big deal. There’s absolutely no reason to tell me. Your best friend.” 

“Hey, Jongdae?”

“What?!”

“I’m mated.” Kyungsoo grins at him. “There, I told you. Now let’s go get pizza—“  


“Kyungsoo!” Jongdae whines, stopping him from leaving. “What— I’m so confused. Last time I checked you weren’t even sure about accepting his claim, what the fuck happened?!” 

Kyungsoo sighs, turning serious, and gives his best a friend a small smile. “This is going to sound very cheesy, but I’m being one hundred percent honest.”

“Okay.” Jongdae nods his head, giving him a sceptical look. “What is it?”

“I’m pretty sure Jongin is my soulmate.” Kyungsoo shrugs. 

He is actually not joking. He’s been thinking about it for a long time. It happens more often than not, that by sheer luck, soulmates get paired up and while there is no official way to prove it yet, the people in question usually can tell once the claim has happened.

Kyungsoo definitely hasn’t felt so much peace and calm in his life before accepting Jongin’s claim. It’s like something just fell into place inside of him. Just like how breathing is so much easier when he’s with Jongin.

Jongdae’s eyes widen. “W-What? Soo— Are you serious?”

“Yes.” 

Jongdae starts crying. 

“Holy shit. Who would’ve thought, huh?” His best friend asks after a long hug, sniffling as he smiles at Kyungsoo.

“Yeah. Who would’ve thought.” 

 

 

 

 

“Hey” Kyungsoo mumbles sleepily, staring at his ceiling. “I’m sorry I haven’t been talking to you lately. I’ve been kind of busy.” He rubs at his eyes and smiles. “But anyway, I just wanted to tell you that my feelings have changed.” Kyungsoo purses his lips and shrugs. “Like, I know I said my love for you is undying and all, and that’s true, but I have a boyfriend now. He’s a vampire. Yeah,I know, I can’t wrap my head around it either. They’re not all bad, you know? If even half of the vampires were like Jongin, the world would be a much better place! You probably don’t care, do you—“

The door to his bedroom opens and Kyungsoo quickly snaps his mouth shut, leaning up on his elbows to see Jongin standing there.

His eyes scan the empty room before he gives Kyungsoo a mildly concerned look. “Who were you talking to?”

Kyungsoo stares at him like a deer caught in the headlights. “Frank.”

“Frank?”

“… Sinatra.” 

Kyungsoo blushes in embarrassment when Jongin just blinks at him, a part of him expecting a negative reaction.

Jongin’s face is blank for another moment before he sighs and shakes his head. He moves and is tackling Kyungsoo against the mattress a second later with a whoosh, Kyungsoo making a surprised noise as he gets pinned against the bed. 

“You’re so fucking strange, you know that?” Jongin asks, his golden eyes full of pure affection and it makes Kyungsoo’s heart swell in his chest. 

“But you like it?” Kyungsoo tries, grinning up at his boyfriend, feeling as breathless as ever in his presence. 

Jongin smiles. “Love it.”

He kisses him, and when Kyungsoo starts to hum the melody of _Fly me to the Moon_ into the kiss, Jongin pulls away to muffle his laugh against Kyungsoo’s neck.

And right there Kyungsoo decides that the melody of Jongin’s laughter is better than any Frank Sinatra song ever written.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> well that was long!!! i salute you if you made it to the end :’) despite this fic being pretty light-hearted and not very serious (plus entirely unbetaed and rushed because i have no sense of time management) it was actually quite challenging to write for me and i’m not sure if was able to pull it off.. also i’m serious when i say i have no knowledge about supernatural creatures lol i’m really sorry if it didn’t make much sense at times!!! to my recipient whisperlucifer, i hope this didn’t disappoint, i tried my best for you :) and to all the mods: thank you so much for your hard work and for providing me with frequent infos and all the help i needed to get this done!! happy kaisoo-day(s) everyone ♡


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